US EditionTwo top aides to RFK Jr. leaving HHS as part of leadership shakeup: Report
Departures follow concerns over communication and agency fit as HHS refocuses policy priorities and public messaging ahead of midterm elections, sources say.
- Two senior aides to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and General Counsel Mike Stuart — are expected to leave the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a broader restructuring before the midterm elections, with discussions underway about other possible government roles for them.
- O’Neill, who serves as second-in-command at HHS and interim head of the CDC, has been a controversial figure, backing anti-vaccine messaging, raising concerns about Medicaid fraud, and supporting the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
- Despite lacking a formal medical or public health background, O’Neill was appointed acting CDC director after Dr. Susan Monarez’s removal in August; critics within the administration viewed him as an uncertain public communicator who struggled to establish his role at the department.
13 Articles
13 Articles
RFK Jr. Overhauls HHS Leadership.
PULSE POINTSWHAT HAPPENED: A major shakeup in leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is underway, with top aides departing from their current roles to other positions as the agency looks to amplify its Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.WHO WAS INVOLVED: HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, General Counsel Mike Stuart, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Chris Klomp.WHEN & WHERE: February 13, 2026, at the Departm…
Acting CDC director, a top deputy to RFK Jr. at HHS, leaves Trump administration
The second in command at the Department of Health and Human Services is leaving his post as part of a shake-up in personnel ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. HHS Deputy Secretary and Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jim O’Neill changed his bio on his personal X account to “formerly @hhsgov” as of Friday afternoon after multiple publications reported he was leaving. O’Neill did not respond to the Washington Exa…
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