Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) introduced articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday for threatening the country’s health.
Stevens, who is running for Michigan’s open Senate seat in 2026, has targeted Kennedy with criticism for months, accusing him of harming healthcare, health research, and promoting conspiracy theories. More than two months after announcing her intent to do so, Stevens finally followed through on long-promised threats to file articles of impeachment against Kennedy, saying his tenure has made American families “less safe.”
“RFK Jr. has turned his back on science, on public health, and on the American people,” Stevens said in a video announcing the move. “Under his watch, families are less safe, healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and life-saving research, including here in Michigan, is being gutted.”
“RFK Jr. is the biggest self-created threat to our health and safety,” she continued. “I cannot, and I will not, stand by while one man dismantles decades of medical progress. Enough is enough, and that is why I’m pushing to impeach RFK Jr, to hold him accountable, and to protect the health, safety, and future of every Michigander, because our health, our science, and our future are worth fighting for.”
In a Tuesday night interview with NBC News, Stevens said she began her effort at the behest of science advocacy groups. She added that she is particularly concerned about Kennedy’s handling of medical research.
“It’s a public health and safety issue,” Stevens said. “And when I have Michiganders who have daughters or sons going through clinical cancer research trials that are stopped in the middle because of RFK, when I introduce legislation to reinstitute the funding for those clinical trials, and it doesn’t get done … when I’ve called on him to step down, and he doesn’t, this is a safety issue.”
Stevens announced that she would introduce the articles on Sept. 25, continuing a steady stream of criticism of Kennedy over the ensuing months.
“His contempt for science, the constant spreading of conspiracy theories, and his complete disregard for the thousands of research hours spent by America’s top doctors and experts is unprecedented, reckless, and dangerous,” she said in a Sept. 25 press release, arguing that Kennedy “violated his oath of office and proven himself unfit to serve the American people.”
The press release outlined the issues she would focus on in her articles of impeachment, including that Kennedy lied during his confirmation hearing and has “severely” restricted access to vaccines, spread “absurd conspiracies,” put lives in danger, raised healthcare costs, and more.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon hit back at Stevens’s criticisms when her plans to impeach Kennedy were announced. In September, he said, “Secretary Kennedy remains focused on the work of improving Americans’ health and lowering costs, not on partisan political stunts.”
SEAN DUFFY SPARKS ONLINE STIR AS DAUGHTER AND RFK JR. BEST HIM IN PULL-UPS
Critics say the move has less to do with public safety and more to do with Stevens making a name for herself to put her above her rivals in Michigan’s competitive Senate primary. The impeachment effort has little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House.
With impeachment attempts against President Donald Trump a nonstarter, some Democratic members of Congress have turned to impeaching his Cabinet instead. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) introduced articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday after he became embroiled in a controversy regarding strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.