Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) on Wednesday reiterated her call for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to leave office, either by resignation or termination, more than a year after she first joined other Democrats in seeking his removal.
“The time is now. RFK Jr. must resign or be fired. End of discussion,” Alsobrooks wrote on social media.
The Maryland Democrat has been one of Kennedy’s most persistent critics on Capitol Hill, repeatedly accusing him of damaging public health by spreading vaccine misinformation and undermining confidence in federal health agencies. Her latest demand comes after more than a year of efforts to push Kennedy out of the Trump administration.
In September 2025, Alsobrooks was among more than 20 Democratic senators who called for Kennedy’s removal following a contentious Senate hearing that examined turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and revisions to federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. During that hearing, Kennedy faced sharp questioning from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) about the number of Americans who had died from COVID-19.
When asked whether he accepted that more than 1 million Americans had died from the coronavirus, Kennedy responded, “I don’t know how many died.” Warner pressed: “You’re the secretary of Health and Human Services. You don’t have any idea how many Americans died from COVID?” Kennedy replied, “I don’t think anybody knows that, because there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC and there were so many perverse incentives.” At the time, federal and international health data showed approximately 1.2 million Americans had died of COVID-19.
Before that hearing, Alsobrooks had already called for Kennedy’s resignation at a Capitol Hill rally, accusing him of destroying the department he was appointed to lead. “RFK claims that he wants to make America healthy again, but from day one has systemically dismantled HHS through his anti-science, quack agenda,” she said at the time.
In February, Alsobrooks and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released a report detailing what they described as harmful actions taken by Kennedy during his first year in office. The lawmakers have continued updating the report to document his decisions as health secretary.
Kennedy’s tenure has been marked by controversy, including his handling of the CDC and vaccine policy. Democrats have seized on these issues to argue he is unfit to lead the department. The White House has not responded to Alsobrooks’s latest call.
As the 2026 midterms approach, health care and public health remain top concerns for voters. Democrats are likely to keep pressure on Kennedy and the administration over these issues. For now, Alsobrooks’s message is clear: she wants Kennedy out.
