The top spokesperson at the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) resigned Monday after clashing with its head, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., over his response to the measles outbreak.
Thomas Corry, who was the assistant secretary of public affairs at HHS, said he called it quits “effective immediately” in a post on his LinkedIn account just two weeks into his tenure at the agency.
“I want to announce to my friends and colleagues that last Friday I announced my resignation effective immediately,” he wrote. “To my colleagues at HHS, I wish you the best and great success.”
ADVERTISEMENT
His resignation comes after he sparred with Kennedy and Stefanie Spear, the principal deputy chief of staff, over the management of the agency during the growing measles crisis, Politico reported.
Corry had become frustrated with Kennedy’s subdued response to the escalating outbreak in Texas, which has infected about 146 people and resulted in the first U.S. death from the disease in a decade.
State officials confirmed the Texas child who died was unvaccinated. The last measles death occurred in 2015, when an immunocompromised woman passed away after doctors failed to diagnose it, marking the first fatality in 12 years.
On Wednesday, when asked about the Texas outbreak at Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, Kennedy downplayed the severity of the outbreak, instigating almost immediate backlash.
“There have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country,” Kennedy, a longtime skeptic of vaccines, stated. “Last year, there were 16. It is not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared measles eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.
Kennedy would later go on to change his tune, backtracking two days after he dismissed the outbreak. He said that HHS had sent 2,000 doses of the measles vaccine to Texas.
“Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team at HHS,” the health secretary wrote in an X post Friday afternoon.
“My heart goes out to the families impacted by the current measles outbreak in TX,” Kennedy added. “I recognize the serious impact of this outbreak on families, children, and healthcare workers.”
