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Kennedy Jr. Steps Back, HHS Morale Plummets Amid Ebola Concerns

6/7/2026

36 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has largely withdrawn from day-to-day agency work, creating a leadership vacuum.
Staff say morale has dropped so low that workers doubt the department’s ability to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Decision requests now pass through adviser Stefanie Spear, which staff say delays critical actions.

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Story summary

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has largely withdrawn from day-to-day agency work, creating a leadership vacuum.
Staff say morale has dropped so low that workers doubt the department’s ability to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Decision requests now pass through adviser Stefanie Spear, which staff say delays critical actions.