Overview
- Kennedy dismissed Chief of Staff Heather Flick Melanson and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Hannah Anderson after only months on the job without offering reasons for their departures.
- Matt Buckham, previously HHS’s White House liaison overseeing political appointee onboarding, has been named acting chief of staff effective immediately.
- Both Melanson and Anderson held senior roles during President Trump’s administration and were viewed as loyal to his agenda.
- Their ousters mark the latest move in Kennedy’s aggressive restructuring of HHS following major workforce cuts and advisory-panel shake-ups.
- With no permanent replacements announced, the abrupt turnover raises concerns about continuity and the pace of policy implementation at HHS.