Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is receiving backlash after posting photos of himself hiking above the Coachella Valley over the weekend despite a deadly measles outbreak in Texas.
“Afternoon mountaineering above Coachella Valley,” Kennedy wrote in the captions of two smiling photos posted to social media.
The photos dismayed several members of Kennedy’s own staff who are working around the clock to contain the spread of measles in Texas.
The post “quickly ricocheted” around HHS, according to Politico and some staff complained that the photos made Kennedy appear out of touch.
“It’s a serious role, he’s just a couple of weeks in and measles is not a common occurrence, and it should be all hands on deck,” one former Trump official said.
“When you’re taking a selfie out at Coachella, it’s pretty clear that you’re checked out.”
Earlier this week, Thomas Corry, the assistant secretary for public affairs, at HHS resigned after just two weeks on the job due to his growing unease with Kennedy’s muted response to the measles outbreak in Texas.
Texas health officials have reported more than 150 cases of measles infections. Nearly two dozen patients have been hospitalized so far and one child has died.
The disease has spread to New Mexico and measles cases were also reported in Florida, Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York City and Rhode Island, according to the CDC.
Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaxxer, initially dismissed the measles outbreak in Texas as “not unusual,” though he has since walked that back.
In a Fox News op-ed Sunday, Kennedy said he is “deeply concerned” about the outbreak and while vaccines can protect children and contribute to community immunity, he stopped short of explicitly calling for vaccinations, saying instead that the ultimate decision to vaccinate should still be with parents.
“All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy said. “The decision to vaccinate is a personal one.”
Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 because of widespread use of the highly effective measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine
