Michigan Democrat moves to impeach RFK Jr. over health care chaos

WASHINGTON — Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens said Thursday she will introduce articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing what she called health care chaos and rising costs under his tenure.

Stevens stressed that her concerns include funding cuts for cancer research, infant death syndrome programs and efforts to combat addiction, in addition to what she described as increased health care costs. She also took aim at Kennedy’s stance on vaccine access, and his spreading of what she characterized as “absurd conspiracies” that have put people’s lives in danger, according to a statement from Stevens.

"RFK Jr. is making our country less safe and making health care less affordable and accessible for Michiganders," Stevens said in a statement. "Enough is enough — we need leaders who put science over chaos, facts over lies, and people over politics, which is why I am announcing today that I have begun drafting articles of impeachment against Secretary Kennedy," she added.

Stevens also accused Kennedy of lying during his confirmation hearings over the promises he made that had not come to fruition. She said he had failed to carry out the statutory duties of HHS in administering the FDA and the CDC, and she criticized what she described as politicization of the FDA and the ending of public comment for HHS rulemaking.

In response, HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said Kennedy "remains focused on the work of improving Americans’ health and lowering costs, not on partisan political stunts." The department emphasized Kennedy’s emphasis on public health and cost containment rather than political theatrics.

Stevens is among a chorus of Democrats calling for Kennedy to step down. The secretary has drawn further scrutiny after news of his firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, among other departures and policy disputes surrounding vaccine oversight and agency leadership. The impeachment move underscores ongoing partisan tensions surrounding Kennedy’s tenure and the administration’s health policy priorities, even as Kennedy contends his agency is pursuing practical reforms to lower costs and expand access to health care.

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