We urge Utah’s congressional leaders to protect our children and families, safeguard our security, and preserve our economic productivity by calling for the impeachment of RFK Jr.
Since being sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in February, it has become increasingly clear that RFK Jr would rather blindly follow his own flawed ideology and financial interests than protect the health of his fellow Americans — the very responsibility he was entrusted with. He blatantly disregards decades of public health research and numerous scientific studies showing that vaccines are safe and protect us from harmful — and sometimes deadly — illness. Americans from both major political parties recognize how dangerous these views are. At a recent contentious U.S. Senate hearing, both Democrats and Republicans rebuked Kennedy’s views. Additionally, his position stands in contrast to Trump supporters, who, according to reports, endorse vaccines.
The recent resignations and firing of multiple senior leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — representing top scientific and public health leadership for the United States — is the culmination of months of inaccurate or misleading information, anti-health rhetoric, and the axing of scientific leadership throughout multiple branches of HHS under RFK Jr’s tenure. At a time when COVID-19 is spreading quickly in our state, changes in federal policy are sowing public confusion and mistrust while making it difficult for children, teens, pregnant moms and the majority of Utahns to get the protection we deserve from unnecessary illness.
Rooted in a strong spirit of community, we Utahns believe in helping our neighbors and those in need. Getting vaccinated does just that. Representing the best of our country’s technology and scientific innovation, vaccines protect not only the individuals who receive them, but also the broader community by reducing the spread of disease. When more of us are vaccinated, outbreaks are less likely, helping safeguard those in our community who are too young, too old or medically unable to be vaccinated. This collective protection makes Utah healthier, keeps kids from missing school, lowers health care costs, and allows society to function more safely and freely.
The loss of CDC leadership is a national security issue at a time when disease outbreaks can travel through counties and across states quickly, weakening our country’s economic productivity and military preparedness. Even in Utah, which weathered the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic with a strong economic recovery, multiple sectors of our economy took a hit — from manufacturing to tourism — costing our state jobs and millions of dollars. As COVID-19 rates increase, along with the spread of measles and other vaccine-preventable infections, our state will bear economic hits that could be prevented.
Utah cannot afford more reckless, anti-science leadership at the expense of our health and security. We ask our legislators to act now to impeach RFK Jr. and protect the future of our state.
