Kennedy’s First Year: Transparency Pledge, Data Gaps and Turmoil
Kennedy’s first year saw mass layoffs and policy shifts that delayed, removed or halted federal public health data releases, fueling trust declines and probes.
Overview
Since his Feb. 13, 2025 swearing-in, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. oversaw mass layoffs and policy shifts that delayed, removed or halted many federal public health data releases, officials and researchers said.
A KFF survey found 47% of Americans trust the CDC "a great deal" or "a fair amount" to provide reliable vaccine information, down about 10 percentage points since the beginning of Trump's second term.
More than 200 public health and advocacy groups have urged Congress to investigate HHS changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, groups said.
HHS lost more than 17,000 civil servants through firings and resignations in 2025, including scientific leaders at the FDA, CDC and NIH, reporting said.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the CDC's annual abortion surveillance report, which was not posted in November, will be released this spring.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources collectively frame RFK Jr.'s first year as disruptive and risky by foregrounding deleted datasets, delayed reports, job cuts and broken promises. They use evaluative verbs, prioritize critical experts and public-health groups, highlight critics' accounts while relegating HHS rebuttals to secondary placement, and structure stories to emphasize consequences over administration defenses.
Sources (11)
FAQ
According to reports, HHS delayed or halted multiple federal public health data releases under Secretary Kennedy's leadership. Specifically, the CDC's annual abortion surveillance report was not posted in November 2025 and was scheduled for release in spring 2026[1]. Additionally, sources indicated that entire offices responsible for data collection and health surveillance were affected by mass layoffs, including offices within the CDC's smoking prevention division and occupational safety programs, which would have impacted ongoing health monitoring and data compilation[2]. The exact scope of all delayed or removed data releases has not been fully documented in available sources.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. justified the layoffs as necessary because "Americans are getting sicker every year" and stated the cuts were about "realigning the CDC with its core mission"[1]. The scale was substantial: approximately 600 CDC employees were terminated in one wave, with an official at the National Institutes of Health characterizing the layoffs as an "HHS-wide bloodbath"[2]. Overall, HHS lost more than 17,000 civil servants through firings and resignations in 2025, including scientific leaders at the FDA, CDC, and NIH[3]. However, Kennedy later acknowledged that some programs were mistakenly cut and would be reinstated[2].
History
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