Warnock Drags Secretary Kennedy for Chaos Surrounding CDC

Senator Reverend Warnock delivered a frank assessment of HHS Secretary Kennedy's leadership of the nation's top health agency during a Wednesday Senate Finance Committee hearing

Secretary Kennedy's incompetence has impacted infectious disease surveillance at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), jeopardizing America's public health

Wednesday's hearing is Secretary Kennedy's first appearance before Senator Warnock since the senator called for his firing during a September 2025 hearing

Senator Reverend Warnock: "You've come to Congress and justified destroying the CDC by saying you want to restore the CDC's mission to focusing on infectious diseases. Yet, you're gutting the very offices that keep American families safe from disturbing and deadly infectious diseases"

Watch Senator Reverend Warnock at Wednesday's Finance Committee hearing HERE

Washington, D.C. - Today, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) dragged Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his haphazard leadership of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In just 14 months, Secretary Kennedy has overseen massive reductions in the federal health workforce, a shooting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the firing of his own CDC Director, and a deadly measles outbreak that ravaged the U.S. Secretary Kennedy's incompetence has gravely impacted infectious disease research at the CDC, jeopardizing America's public health.

"You've come to Congress and justified destroying the CDC by saying you want to restore the CDC's mission to focusing on infectious diseases," said Senator Reverend Warnock. "Yet, you're gutting the very offices that keep American families safe from disturbing and deadly infectious diseases."

During the hearing, Senator Warnock again called on President Trump to fire Secretary Kennedy or for the Secretary to resign due to his ineptitude in leading the agency.

"Personally, sir-even as you seem distracted while I talk to you about deadly diseases- I think you're dangerous to the American public. You ought to be fired. And if you're not fired, you ought to have the decency to resign. You're way in over your head," said Senator Warnock to Secretary Kennedy.

Since the CDC and its employees became a target of this administration, Senator Warnock has led several efforts defending their employment and the crucial role they play in keeping the nation safe. In August 2025, Senator Warnock reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Georgia's CDC employees following the shooting at the CDC that claimed the life of a DeKalb County police officer. During a September hearing, Senator Warnock pushed for accountability after the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the attack at the Atlanta campus, subsequently calling on President Trump to fire Secretary Kennedy. Senator Warnock voted against Secretary Kennedy to lead HHS, the agency that oversees the CDC, due to concerns over disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs, quality, and access for millions of Georgians and Americans.

Watch the Senator's full exchange HERE

See a transcript of the exchange between Senator Warnock and Secretary Kennedy below:

Senator Reverend Warnock (SRW): "Thank you, Brother Chair.

"Secretary Kennedy, you're here today to defend the President's budget request. In September, you said that the CDC quote 'will again become the world authority on infectious disease policy'. Do you still stand by that statement? Yes or no?"

Secretary Kennedy (SK): "We already are."

SRW: "Secretary Kennedy, do you know what rabies is?"

SK: "Rabies?"

SRW: "Yeah. Do you know what it is?"

SK: "Yeah."

SRW: "Okay, so rabies. People contract rabies-as we know-through bites from infected animals like skunks, foxes, like raccoons-"

SK: "Yeah."

SRW: "-and it can devastate a family-"

SK: "It can kill you."

SRW: "-when a pet is infected, it is very serious. It's 100% fatal in humans."

SK: "Yes."

SRW: "--if left untreated, and generally, it's a horrific experience. Staff at the CDC rabies division in Atlanta, Georgia have historically been able to field emergency calls 24/7 from providers about complex rabies cases using CDC expertise to determine appropriate care. Secretary Kennedy, since you and President Trump took office, do you know how many people are left to staff this 24/7 line?"

SK: "I do not know, Senator."

SRW: "Okay, so the answer is one. I want you to know that there's one person left to staff a 24/7 line to respond to rabies, a disease which left untreated, is fatal."

SK: "Do you know how many rabies cases there are every year in the United States?"

SRW: "I'm asking the questions. The CDC's infectious disease work has been so decimated under your leadership that there's only one person left to staff the line and respond to families about this very deadly and terrifying infectious disease.

"Let me ask about another disease. Secretary Kennedy, do you know what prion diseases are?"

SK: "Yes, I do."

SRW: "Okay, thanks. And when you think of prion diseases, one of them would be mad cow disease. Diseases like mad cow disease can be transmitted from animal meat to humans, and it can cause a rapid onset of dementia, challenges with walking, personality changes, and severe insomnia.

"It's also 100% fatal, and there is no cure with people's brain tissue essentially turning into a sponge before death. Do you know which office at CDC monitors prion disease?"

SK: "I do not know, Senator."

SRW: "It's the Prion and Public Health Office. Do you know what population is most at risk of contracting the disease?"

SK: "I would say it's people who eat meat from CAFOs."

SRW: "Hunters. Prion and Public Health Office is critical in a state like Georgia. In Georgia, we have a lot of hunters. There are more than 600,000 hunters in my state, but your budget proposes to eliminate this office.

"Respectfully, you seem distracted-Brother Secretary. Why does your budget propose to eliminate the CDC office that focuses on monitoring this deadly infectious disease that's especially a risk to rural communities? Why are you proposing to eliminate the office?"

SK: "You know, there's a lot of cuts at the agency that nobody wants. We have a $39 trillion debt. We've been asked to cut across the agency 12%."

SRW: "I assure you that the 600,000 hunters in Georgia would want this office. They would want the protection. I assure you that families that are dealing with rabies, or the prospects of that, would want to know that somebody is going to answer the phone when they call.

"You've come to Congress and justified destroying the CDC by saying you want to restore the CDC's mission to focusing on infectious diseases. Yet, you're gutting the very offices that keep American families safe from disturbing and deadly infectious diseases"

SK: "Senator, there's one to three rabies cases a year in the United States. I think one person manning that office full time probably can handle that traffic. In terms of prion disease, it's very, very rare."

SRW: "I beg to differ.

"Here's the issue. And we see this across the board with CDC. The incredible folks at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, they protect us every day from the threats that we don't see. And they don't get much credit for it because of the stuff that does not happen. It's okay for the general public not to wake up thinking about that, but we expect you to keep Americans alive and the cutting that we're seeing-these draconian cuts for an agency that you said you wanted to restore to be the leader in infectious disease-yet you're cutting the coverage of infectious disease.

"Personally, sir-even as you seem distracted while I talk to you about deadly diseases- I think you're dangerous to the American public. You ought to be fired. And if you're not fired, you ought to have the decency to resign. You're way in over your head.

"Thank you."

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