HHS hits back at former surgeons general who wrote op-ed saying RFK Jr. is endangering nation’s health

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hit back at an op-ed written by the most recent six surgeons general, who said they wanted to warn the U.S. about the dangers of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The op-ed, published in The Washington Post on Tuesday, called the health secretary’s policies and positions an “immediate and unprecedented” threat to the nation’s health.

In a statement to ABC News, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the doctors are the same officials “who presided over the decline in America’s public health.”

They “are now criticizing the first Secretary to confront it head-on,” the statement continued. “We remain committed to restoring trust, reforming broken health systems, and ensuring that every American has access to real choice in their health care.”

In the op-ed, the surgeons general referenced views held by Kennedy, including repeating the false claim that childhood vaccines cause autism and misrepresenting risks of COVID-19 vaccines, despite studies that found the shots prevented millions of hospitalizations and deaths.

The “nation’s doctors” as surgeon generals are commonly described because they give public health guidance and warnings to the country, also pointed to decisions made by Kennedy — including touting unproven treatments as measles spread in the U.S.

They also referenced his removal of all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee and replacing them with his own hand-selected members, many of whom have shared vaccine-skeptic views.

Among the authors was Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general for most of President Donald Trump’s first term, including the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a post on X sharing a link to the op-ed, Adams referred to disinformation, the loss of trust in doctors and the destruction of public health as deadlier than cigarettes.

“Neither I nor the other five living Surgeons General wanted to call for this unprecedented warning- but all felt compelled by duty to do so,” he wrote.

Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as surgeon general under President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2006 and another author of the op-ed, told ABC News he is urging Americans to “disregard” Kennedy’s vaccine rhetoric.

“On behalf of the people, vaccines are safe, you should consult with your health provider, get the best information, get your child vaccinated, and unfortunately, disregard what you’re hearing from Secretary Kennedy and many of his political appointees who continue to provide mis and disinformation to confuse the public,” he said.

The op-ed comes about a month after seven former directors and two former acting directors of the CDC wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, accusing Kennedy of endangering the health of Americans.

ABC News’ Meghan Mistry and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.