Screenshot: @SecKennedy / X
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just made a stunning move inside the Department of Health and Human Services, terminating two top officials.
Heather Flick Melanson, his Chief of Staff, and Hannah Anderson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, are OUT.
According to ABC News, the dismissals were sudden and unexplained.
No reason was given for the ousters. The person familiar with the situation told ABC that Kennedy “has every right to make personnel decisions.”
“Secretary Kennedy has made a leadership change within the Immediate Office of the Secretary,” according to a statement provided by an HHS spokesperson to ABC News. “Effective immediately, Matt Buckham will serve as Acting Chief of Staff.”
“Mr. Buckham currently serves as Kennedy’s White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he oversees the recruitment and onboarding of political appointees across the agency. He brings valuable experience in personnel strategy and organizational management to this new role,” the statement continued.
“Secretary Kennedy thanks the outgoing leadership for their service and looks forward to working closely with Mr. Buckham as the Department continues advancing its mission to Make America Healthy Again,” the statement concluded.
Buckham will continue to serve as Kennedy’s White House liaison, according to an administration official.
The terminations come after the FDA — under HHS leadership—officially granted full approval to Moderna’s controversial mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, for children as young as 6 months old through 11 years of age who are deemed “at increased risk” of COVID-19. A decision Kennedy neither authorized nor was even briefed on.
The vaccine was previously available to kids under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), but the FDA has now handed over full approval, greenlighting the use of the experimental shot despite growing evidence of adverse events, including myocarditis, pericarditis, allergic reactions, and even seizures in young recipients.
Dr. Robert Malone, now a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), said the FDA’s move to fully approve the Moderna shot blindsided RFK Jr. while he was on a working vacation.
“I have had many requests to clarify what happened with the recent July 10, 2025 FDA general (non-EUA) marketing authorization of Moderna’s SpikeVax for children. The truth of the matter is that I do not really know what happened at FDA to lead to this outcome. Like many, I was shocked and disappointed.
[…]
“The narrative on MAHA Twitter after the FDA approved Moderna’s SPIKEVAX vaccine for high-risk children is that this was a betrayal by Secretary Kennedy. But this is the OPPOSITE of what transpired. The Secretary was on vacation and not even briefed on the decision. It was a working vacation, and I have personal confirmation that he took many calls, briefings, and was constantly managing strategic and tactical decisions during his much-needed and well-earned vacation. He (and his beloved wife) have not had a vacation since launching his Presidential campaign.”
Read more here.
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