UMVA has learned that a scathing article targeting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. erupted on Thursday, branding his leadership as disengaged and ineffective.
The piece, titled “Kennedy Shows Minimal Engagement in Vast Health Portfolio,” is built on a wall of anonymous accusations and testimonies from former staff members—many of whom were dismissed or resigned under contentious circumstances.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the reporter relied heavily on disgruntled former employees, weaving their grievances into a narrative that paints the Secretary as aloof, especially regarding the Ebola crisis in Africa.
In a blistering reply posted to X, Secretary Kennedy dismantled the article line by line, demanding readers glance at his publicly available calendar to see a relentless schedule of one‑on‑one meetings, daily briefings with FDA, NIH and CDC leaders, and countless policy strategy sessions that stretch late into the night.
He emphasized that the monthly counselor meetings cited by the reporter are merely coordination points for divisions already fully briefed by his daily interactions, rendering the claim of “minimal engagement” not just inaccurate but absurd.
Kennedy also exposed the article’s selective quoting, noting that the anonymous sources quoted were either fired by his office or left to avoid termination, and that the piece never clarified whether the quoted HHS employees were among those dismissed.
“Your article exemplifies the biased reporting we have come to expect,” he wrote, accusing the journalist of pre‑ordained conclusions and a willingness to cherry‑pick “facts” that fit a preconceived narrative.
He reminded readers that he entered the role to overhaul a department plagued by absenteeism and cultural decay, confronting a workforce that had dwindled to a ghost town and reviving operations that had been left in disarray by his predecessor.
Kennedy highlighted his unprecedented outreach to Indian Health Services, noting record‑breaking visits to tribal clinics and the elevation of Native leaders within HHS—a stark contrast to the article’s omission of these achievements.
The Secretary’s response paints a portrait of a leader who works until 11 p.m., fields endless phone calls, and still finds time to address the needs of underserved communities, challenging the narrative of disengagement spun by the controversial piece.
