Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s abrupt shakeup of the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services sent shockwaves through the health establishment this week — and laid bare some of the forces shaping a turbulent department.
But one source familiar with the internal dynamics of HHS told NOTUS that Kennedy simply suffered a loss of faith in his chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, and that the decision to fire them was a long time coming. While the two HHS officials were given justifications for their terminations, there was no dramatic inciting incident, the source said.
Still, Kennedy’s decision to fire two longtime Washington insiders marks another move by the secretary that could help him claw back some of the independence he gave up when he abandoned his own presidential bid to join forces with Donald Trump.