Top HHS Spokesperson Quit Due to RFK Jr's 'Muted Response' to Measles Outbreak Days Before Kennedy's Op-Ed: Report

A top Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson quit over newly minted Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s response to the measles outbreak in Texas, days before the secretary submitted an op-ed on the topic to Fox News.

Thomas Corry, the now-former assistant secretary of public affairs at HHS, announced in a LinkedIn post Monday that he had resigned from his position Friday "effective immediately."

Although Corry did not provide a reason for his resignation, two sources with familiarity on the matter told Politico that the former secretary quit after disagreements with top HHS officials, including Kennedy over the way the department was handled.

The sources specifically cited Kennedy's "muted response" to the measles outbreak in Texas, Politico reported.

Days after Corry's resignation, Kennedy addressed the measles outbreak in an op-ed published by Fox News Sunday, saying that the outbreak was "deeply concerning" and calling for parents to vaccinate their children against the disease if they have not done so already.

This went against previous statements by the health secretary, in which he referred to the outbreak as "not unusual" during President Donald Trump's first Cabinet meeting.

Kennedy has previously come under fire from health organizations and professionals for comments that they say pushed anti-vaccine rhetoric and medical misinformation. In 2023, Kennedy told Fox News that "there's no vaccine that is safe and effective."

As of Monday, at least 146 people have been infected by the Texas measles outbreak, and one child, who was unvaccinated, has died. This marks the first death from measles in the U.S. since 2015.