Top HHS Spokesperson Resigns Over RFK Jr.'s Handling of Measles Outbreak

Thomas Corry steps down after two weeks, citing disagreements with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s response to a deadly measles outbreak in Texas.

Thomas Corry, the assistant secretary of public affairs at HHS, announced his resignation, effective immediately, after two weeks in the role.
Corry reportedly clashed with RFK Jr. and his deputy chief of staff, Stefanie Spear, over the department's muted response to a measles outbreak in Texas that has infected 146 people and caused the first U.S. measles death in a decade.
RFK Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, initially downplayed the outbreak as 'not unusual' but later acknowledged its seriousness in a Fox News op-ed, stopping short of directly recommending vaccination.
The resignation comes during a period of postponed or canceled vaccine advisory meetings and reviews of federal funding for vaccine development under Kennedy's leadership.
Critics, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have raised concerns about Kennedy's vaccine policies, calling his approach 'irresponsible and reckless' in the face of worsening public health crises.