Over 750 federal health workers have sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of contributing to the climate that led to the deadly August 8 attack on CDC headquarters in Atlanta.
The violent incident occurred when 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, Georgia, unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the CDC campus, firing nearly 200 rounds that struck six buildings and shattered approximately 150 blast-resistant windows. The attack claimed the life of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, a 33-year-old Marine veteran who had graduated from the police academy just months earlier and left behind a pregnant wife and two young children.
White, who investigators say was motivated by anti-vaccine beliefs and blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for his depression and suicidal thoughts, died by suicide at the scene.
In their letter, the HHS workers, including nearly 400 current CDC employees, many signing anonymously due to fear of retaliation, directly blamed Kennedy for creating a hostile environment toward public health professionals. The letter, which also included former CDC officials and staff from NIH and other HHS divisions, accused Kennedy of being “complicit in dismantling America’s public health infrastructure.”
Those actions include:
- Calling the CDC a “cesspool of corruption” and questioning the integrity of its workforce
- Terminating critical CDC workers in what they described as a “destroy-first-and-ask-questions-later” manner
- Falsely claiming mRNA vaccines “failed to protect effectively” and subsequently canceling $500 million in mRNA vaccine development contracts
- Disbanding the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) despite promising not to change the process during his confirmation hearing
- Misusing data to falsely claim childhood vaccines cause autism despite decades of research proving otherwise.
The letter, giving Kennedy until September 2, 2025 to respond, makes three specific demands:
- Stop spreading inaccurate health information and publicly disavow false claims about vaccines and public health institutions
- Affirm CDC’s scientific integrity and acknowledge that its work is rooted in scientific, non-partisan evidence
- Guarantee the safety of HHS workforce by ensuring functional emergency procedures and taking action to remove online material targeting federal workers, including controversial “DEI watchlists.”
The letter specifically references “DEI watchlists” created by the conservative American Accountability Foundation, which have published names, photos, salaries, and personal details of 175 federal employees, many of whom are women and people of color working in health agencies. These lists have caused significant anxiety among federal workers, with some enhancing home security, deleting social media accounts, or even fleeing the country due to safety concerns.
According to Reuters reporting, at least 88 people on these watchlists have either left government or been forced onto administrative leave.
Following the shooting, Kennedy visited the CDC campus and met with the widow of Officer Rose, expressing his condolences. In a statement, he said “no one should encounter violence while striving to safeguard the health of others”. However, the HHS workers’ letter suggests his previous rhetoric contributed to the climate that made such violence possible.
