NPR’s Juana Summers talks with Dr. Elizabeth Soda, who’s one in every of greater than 1,000 federal well being employees urging Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
As we speak, over 1,000 present and former federal well being employees signed a letter urging Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign. The letter, which was addressed to the well being secretary and to Congress, accuses Kennedy of endangering the nation’s well being. This comes days after the Meals and Drug Administration imposed new restrictions on who’s eligible for the up to date COVID-19 vaccines and after the Trump administration fired the newly confirmed director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, Susan Monarez.
One of many organizers and signatories of this letter is Dr. Elizabeth Soda. Till yesterday, she was a doctor with the CDC’s Nationwide Middle for Rising and Zoonotic Infectious Illnesses. She joins us now from Atlanta. Welcome to this system.
ELIZABETH SODA: Thanks a lot for having me.
SUMMERS: Dr. Soda, I do know that you have been voicing your considerations about adjustments on the CDC for a while – for weeks now. However yesterday, you lastly took the step of resigning. Inform us what led you to make that selection.
SODA: You already know, it wasn’t a simple one, however I joined the CDC to advertise well being, not solely only for a person however for a big inhabitants. And now I really feel like I’ve to go away CDC in order that I can do the identical and extra freely advocate for these actually necessary public well being matters.
SUMMERS: Within the letter you and over 1,000 different federal well being employees penned, you say, quote, “our oath requires us to talk out when the Structure is violated and the American persons are put in danger,” finish quote. Dr. Soda, how, in your view, is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the well being secretary’s, management placing Individuals in danger? Give us an instance.
SODA: Yeah, I strongly consider within the oath I took. And Secretary Kennedy is unquestionably placing us all in danger. I believe his stance on vaccines is one very clear instance of how he’s politicizing the necessary public well being motion of vaccines, and it’ll have very severe penalties for all Individuals at this level.
SUMMERS: We reached out to HHS, and spokesperson Andrew Nixon informed NPR in an announcement that Secretary Kennedy has been clear in regards to the CDC being, quote, “damaged for a very long time” and went on to say that restoring belief in it’ll take, quote, “sustained reform and extra personnel adjustments.” He additionally went on to say that the well being secretary is dedicated to evidence-based science. What do you say to that?
SODA: I’d argue the secretary is unquestionably not dedicated to evidence-based science, you already know, based mostly upon lots of the actions he is already taken. Wanting, for instance, of what he – what occurred to ACIP and the folks and appointees that he is placing at CDC, who’ve clearly been not utilizing evidence-based science to again lots of their conclusions.
SUMMERS: Once you say ACIP, I assume you are referring there to the Advisory Committee on Immunization…
SODA: That is right.
SUMMERS: …Practices.
SODA: That’s right.
SUMMERS: I ponder, do you are concerned in any respect that the sequence of current departures from CDC are literally fulfilling the imaginative and prescient that the Trump administration and the well being secretary have for the way forward for the company?
SODA: You already know, that may be a actually good query, and I believe we undoubtedly have to consider these issues as we focus on these matters. However, you already know, I can even say that CDC nonetheless clearly has lots of actually devoted and great public servants who’re devoted to proceed its mission. They need to have the ability to do their work and assist the American public. So I – you already know, I do consider that due to these superb people, CDC will proceed to attempt to work and shield American lives as greatest they will.
SUMMERS: I do know that you have resigned, however I do need to ask you. We have seen plenty of cases over the previous couple of months of people that communicate out towards President Trump or his administration’s insurance policies dealing with quite a lot of damaging penalties. Do you could have any considerations about talking out, going public your self?
SODA: Yeah, after all. I believe there’s at all times danger, not solely from retaliation from the administration but in addition how, you already know, most people goes to view us and doubtlessly the danger that comes with that. However, you already know, I really feel very strongly. I swore an oath. Even when I’ve resigned, I will maintain by that oath for the remainder of my life. And that’s to talk out after I consider the Structure and the American persons are in jeopardy. And so I am prepared to take that danger as a way to assist promote the superb work that we’re making an attempt to do to advertise well being amongst all Individuals.
SUMMERS: We have got a few minute left. States are starting to take public well being issues into their very own fingers. Florida simply introduced it intends to finish vaccine mandates. As we speak, the states of California, Washington and Oregon launched the West Coast Well being Alliance to coordinate their very own well being steerage and vaccine suggestions moderately than to depend on the CDC. In your view, ought to the nation be making contingency plans to function with out the CDC, as we see these states doing?
SODA: I believe, sadly, we’re there, proper? We’re seeing states roll again these mandates. They are going to have penalties. The varsity mandates have helped. And I believe that if CDC just isn’t going to have the ability to present that dependable voice, we’re going to need to depend on our state and native well being departments to step in and fill these gaps.
SUMMERS: Very last thing I might wish to ask – if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t resign as well being secretary, as you and your colleagues – your former colleagues – ask, what would you hope comes subsequent for the CDC?
SODA: I do hope Congress takes motion. You already know, that is our large plea. Please, Congress, you already know, take motion and put somebody in that function who’s going to have the ability to comply with evidence-based scientific information to make good…
SUMMERS: OK.
SODA: …Choices for the American public.
SUMMERS: We’ll have to go away it there. Dr. Elizabeth Soda was till yesterday a doctor on the CDC, one in every of greater than 1,000 federal well being employees calling for Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy to resign. Thanks.
SODA: Thanks a lot.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might differ. Transcript textual content could also be revised to right errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its authentic broadcast or publication. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.
