The Frank
Home
Today's Fastrack
About
Subscribe
RFK Jr. Fires Top Aides in HHS Shakeup

RFK Jr. Fires Top Aides in HHS Shakeup

author
author

The Frank Staff

The Frank Staff.
[email protected]
@TheFrank_com
The Frank Staff
author

The Frank Staff

The Frank Staff.
[email protected]
@TheFrank_com

Jul 17, 2025

·

0 min read

Share options

Email
Facebook
X
Telegram
WhatsApp
Reddit

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired several top advisers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed on July 16.

“Secretary Kennedy has made a leadership change within the Immediate Office of the Secretary,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

The fired aides are Heather Flick Melanson, who was the HHS chief of staff, and Hannah Anderson, who had been the department’s deputy chief of staff for policy, according to Dr. Robert Malone, a close ally of Kennedy whom the health secretary recently appointed to a federal advisory committee.

Melanson has worked in two different presidential administrations, according to her profile on the Republican National Lawyers Association website.

Anderson was, until January, a director at the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit that has been supportive of many of President Donald Trump’s policies, according to her LinkedIn page. She had also been an adviser to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which is chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

Melanson, who is still listed in the HHS employee directory, was removed on July 16 as being listed as the HHS chief of staff on the main HHS website. Matt Buckham is now listed as the acting chief of staff.

Buckham, who is also Kennedy’s White House liaison and oversees recruiting and onboarding of political appointees across HHS, “brings valuable experience in personnel strategy and organizational management to this new role,” according to the HHS spokesperson.

The spokesperson said, “Secretary Kennedy thanks the outgoing leadership for their service and looks forward to working closely with Mr. Buckham as the Department continues advancing its mission to Make America Healthy Again.”

Departures from HHS have been rare in Trump’s second term, although Thomas Corry, Kennedy’s top spokesperson, resigned in March after a short stint with the department that started before Kennedy was confirmed.

“I want to announce to my friends and colleagues that last Friday I announced my resignation effective immediately,” Corry said in a brief LinkedIn post at the time. “To my colleagues at HHS, I wish you the best and great success.”

Corry did not outline why he left HHS but thanked a commenter who said he was proud of Corry “for standing up for your convictions.”

Kennedy has also brought on a number of personnel with whom he shares connections, including Lyn Redwood, a nurse who was previously president of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that Kennedy once chaired and that speaks out regularly against current government vaccine recommendations, and Stefanie Spear, who was press secretary for Kennedy’s presidential campaign.

Share options

Email
Facebook
X
Telegram
WhatsApp
Reddit

Israel Kills Houthi PM in Yemen

Aug 31, 2025

2 min

SCO Summit: Xi Welcomes Putin, Modi and Other Leaders

Aug 31, 2025

3 min

Populist Parties Lead Polls in EU’s Biggest Economies

Aug 31, 2025

2 min

Tensions Rise Between Gabbard and CIA Chief

Aug 31, 2025

4 min

Judge Halts Deportation of Guatemalan Minors

Aug 31, 2025

3 min

Legendary Sheriff Implicated in Wife's Murder 60 Years Later

Aug 31, 2025

3 min

Chicago Mayor Blocks Trump's Troop Deployment

Aug 31, 2025

3 min

Trump in Talks to Deploy Private Army to Ukraine

Aug 31, 2025

1 min

Kari Lake Fires 500+ Staff at VOA Parent Agency

Aug 31, 2025

1 min

Judge Blocks Trump’s Expanded Deportation Plan

Aug 31, 2025

3 min

Trump Signs Order ‘Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again’

Aug 31, 2025

2 min

Trans Activist Fatally Shoots Father of 6-Year-Old

Aug 31, 2025

1 min

Trump Alive and Well After False Death Rumors

Aug 31, 2025

1 min

Missouri GOP Governor Orders Map Redraw

Aug 31, 2025

2 min

Noem Fires 24 FEMA Employees Over Cyber Lapses

Aug 31, 2025

1 min

Bondi Fires DOJ Staffer Who Flipped Off National Guard

Aug 30, 2025

1 min

Whistleblower Warns of Migrant Crime Spillover

Aug 30, 2025

3 min

Ukrainian Ex-Parliament Speaker Shot Dead

Aug 30, 2025

3 min

Appeals Court Rules Trump’s Tariffs Illegal

Aug 30, 2025

3 min

Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst Won't Seek Re-Election

Aug 30, 2025

1 min

  • Today's Fastrack
  • About
  • Contact
  • Policy & Terms
  • Recaptcha