HRES944-119

Article I: Abuse of Authority and Undermining of the Public Health The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment and that civil officers of the United States, including the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. In his conduct as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has abused the powers of his office and failed to faithfully execute the laws of the United States, in violation of his constitutional oath and his duty under article II, section 3, of the Constitution. By doing so, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has imperiled the health and safety of the American people, eroded public confidence in the Nation’s public health institutions, and stalled decades of scientific and medical progress. In his conduct as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has disregarded statutory requirements of his office by failing to abide by Federal law, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18001 et seq.) and title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), which threatens the public health and safety of the American people through the diminished capacity of the Nation’s public health institutions as follows: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. conducted far-reaching, haphazard reduction in force (hereinafter referred to as RIF) including during the ongoing lapse of appropriations, which have diminished public health capacity across the Department of Health and Human Services (hereinafter referred to as DHHS) resulting in lawsuits and haphazard reinstatement actions. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely testified to Congress that these reductions in force did not terminate any “working scientists,” despite overwhelming evidence that key staff managing programs and leading public health scientists were included, endangering public health, delaying biomedical innovations, and inciting confusion among public health professionals. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unilaterally ceased public comment on various types of Federal administrative rules and orders in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. Such elimination runs at odds with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s own statements to improve public transparency while also reducing key oversight and consultation avenues used by Congress and public health officials on significant Federal actions. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated employees across the National Institutes of Health (hereinafter referred to as NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (hereinafter referred to as CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter referred to as FDA) responsible for meeting statutory requirements with respect to record keeping and fulfilling requests for public records eligible under Federal laws, including the Freedom of Information Act. These terminations diminished oversight and transparency across the Nation’s public health enterprise and are impeding Congress’ ability to conduct effective oversight. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrated the publication of the Make America Healthy Again report, which repeatedly cited false, misleading, or non-existent research and misrepresented existing scientific findings, seeding confusion among the public and policymakers and imperiling the health and well-being of children across the United States. Such false citations are also in violation of Federal research integrity standards and the established norms of the scientific community. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. baselessly attacked the FDA, including going so far as to suggest reorganization and closure of key programs. These attacks erode public trust in a key regulatory agency designed to protect public health while reducing capacity to carry out statutory requirements. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the FDA would unilaterally approve the use of leucovorin, a chemotherapy drug approved for cancer treatment, to treat symptoms of autism. Such a move is in violation of administrative procedures regarding the approval of novel treatment methods by the FDA, including insufficient scientific evidence of any such risks or adverse effects the use of leucovorin poses to children’s health. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. impaired the Federal response to the avian influenza outbreak despite overwhelming evidence of a health crisis in the Nation’s poultry stock, which led to the culling of millions of commercial birds. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the scientific and general public concern regarding the escalating outbreak, repeated inflammatory statements such as suggesting the virus should be allowed to run its course, and failed to uphold the Federal Government’s responsibility of managing the crisis, thus endangering food security and public health. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has undermined the United States leadership in medical innovation and endangered the future of public health through the cancellation of Federal research grants, shuttering congressionally authorized programs, and withholding funds, which violated article 1 of the United States Constitution and the power of the purse by Congress as follows: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cancelled more than 2,600 biomedical research grants at NIH totaling $8.9 billion in Federal funding loss for the public health research enterprise. Additionally, over $1.5 billion in NIH grants are currently frozen, further chilling medical innovation, including life-saving clinical research. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shuttered programs and research grant funding dedicated to improving childhood health (including cancelling research of childhood cancer), ended NIH participation in efforts to reduce sudden infant death syndrome, and reduced capacity to monitor maternal and infant health. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shuttered key prevention programs and funding streams dedicated to addressing mental health and substance abuse, including the shuttering of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in violation of Federal law and ending the specialized support services offered by the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for LBQTA+ youth, further compromising the public health of a vulnerable population. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withheld Congressionally authorized funding to carry out the family planning program under title X of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300 et seq.), threatening closure of 865 service sites and cutting access for 850,000 patients to essential reproductive and preventive health services, jeopardizing healthcare access across the United States. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eliminated various clinical research programs and projects related to prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (hereinafter referred to as HIV) and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (hereinafter referred to as AIDS), thus undermining public health, including for vulnerable populations. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discontinued the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases, operated by NIH, jeopardizing public health by deteriorating the scientific understanding and the ability to prevent, detect, and respond to future global pandemics. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cancelled research grants for vaccines development utilizing mRNA biomedical technologies despite scientifically studied benefits of such technology, including the COVID–19 vaccine, imperiling the future of biomedical innovation for cancer treatment, including for childhood cancer. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abolished the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network. As a result of this terminated funding, CDC will only monitor two foodborne illnesses, down from eight which includes the elimination of campylobacter and listeria, which killed 72 people in the United States in 2022. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has eroded public trust in the effectiveness and safety of vaccines through inflammatory, baseless, and misleading public statements, policies, and other official actions. Such actions also undermine public trust in the entire United States public health system and institutions, thus sowing harmful and unnecessary confusion among the American public regarding trusted sources for public health information as follows: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely testified under oath to Congress that he would not take actions that would make it difficult or discourage people from taking [vaccines] and that he would not undermine the independence of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (hereinafter referred to as ACIP), the premier Federal advisory committee responsible for immunization policy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. circumvented the independence of the ACIP by firing all 17 members of the ACIP and subsequently appointing unqualified individuals to the ACIP, many of whom hold significant conflicts of interest and have publicly opposed established immunization science. This move represents a scientific coup d’état of immunization science and policy that imperils public health. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unilaterally fired Susan Monarez, the Senate-confirmed CDC Director. Prior to her firing, Susan Monarez was subject to legally dubious managerial pressure by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other politically appointed staff of DHHS to resign over her refusal to implement politically-motivated, scientifically-unfounded policies. Following her firing, Susan Monarez testified under oath in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee regarding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s intention to promote policies, actions, and rhetoric that undermine public health and his failures to execute statutory requirements for his office. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unilaterally removed the COVID–19 vaccine from the recommended schedule for pregnant women and children issued by CDC, without the required input from the ACIP. He then falsely testified before the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives that he eliminated the recommendation for pregnant women because there was no science supporting that recommendation. This change created widespread confusion in vaccine safety, and installed harmful barriers to vaccine access, including for vulnerable populations. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed David Geier, a known vaccine conspiracy theorist with no medical training, to lead a Federal study into vaccines, with a focus on the scientifically unsubstantiated theory connecting vaccines to autism, further politicizing scientific research and undermining public trust in immunization safety. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite his official capacity as Secretary of Health and Human Services, has publicly voiced support for baseless, scientifically unproven theories regarding immunization safety, including COVID–19 vaccines, and embraced harmful rhetoric wrongfully connecting immunizations to behavioral and health conditions, including during an active measles outbreak. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite his official capacity as Secretary of Health and Human Services, publicly supported Dr. Michael Kirk Moore following the dismissal of Federal charges against the physician despite the significant public health harm in doing so. Dr. Moore was accused of destroying COVID–19 vaccines, distributing fake vaccination record cards, and giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine at their parents’ request. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has undermined the public health and safety of the American people through policies relying on unsubstantiated evidence and promoting false, misleading, and dangerous rhetoric. These inflammatory statements and actions contradict established science and Federal policy and further erode public confidence in the Nation’s health institutions as follows: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed that acetaminophen usage during pregnancy causes autism, a claim that is entirely unsubstantiated, eroding public trust in medical advice. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made inflammatory and scientifically unfounded public comments regarding autism, including referring to the condition as a preventable disease and made demeaning comments about autistic individuals. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the CDC to end fluoridation directives in water utilities despite decades of scientific consensus on the proven benefits of such directives in preventing tooth decay. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared without evidence that cell phones cause cancer and neurological harm to children despite such claims having been explicitly refuted by the NIH and other scientific authorities. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed that AIDS is caused by the use of alkyl nitrites, a class of recreational drugs colloquially referred to as poppers, despites decades of research demonstrating the causal relationship between HIV and AIDS. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed that lifestyle changes and vitamin supplements can prevent measles, leading to a documented 39% increase in pediatric Vitamin A poisoning cases. In all of this, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has imperiled the health and safety of the American people, eroded public confidence in the Nation’s public health institutions, and diminished decades of scientific and medical progress. Wherefore Robert F. Kennedy Jr., by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.