News Analysis

Kennedy Calls For FDA To Tackle ‘Deep State’ Amid Growing Concerns About His Anti-Vaccine Messaging

By Maaisha Osman, Donna Haseley / April 14, 2025 at 3:07 PM

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubled down on his calls for a radical transformation of government health agencies, telling FDA staff Friday ( April 11) the agency has become a “sock puppet” of the industries it regulates and urging them to resist the “deep state,” according to a recording obtained by media outlets, capping off a tumultuous week that included a key public health group’s call for Kennedy’s resignation and a duo of Journal of the American Medical Association op-eds that blasted Kennedy’s assault on long-standing health science since he became HHS secretary on Feb. 13.



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