FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 September 4, 2025

CONTACT: press@keishaforgovernor.com

ATLANTA – Today, in testimony before the U.S. Senate, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s said he fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) workers and leadership because “they did not do their job” and claimed that he intended to “restore the agency to its role as the world’s gold standard public health agency.” 

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued the following statement in response to Secretary Kennedy’s attacks on CDC workers in Georgia.

“Georgians are proud that our state is the global hub of public health, and we’re proud of the thousands of dedicated public servants who wake up every day to keep Americans safe and healthy. CDC workers are doing their jobs every day; it’s Secretary Kennedy who is not doing his job. Today’s embarrassing Senate testimony clearly showed that Secretary Kennedy is unfit to lead our nation’s health response. Instead of blaming CDC workers, Secretary Kennedy should look in the mirror to find out who is responsible for causing chaos and undermining our nation’s public health infrastructure.

“Secretary Kennedy is wrong: The CDC has been the world’s gold-standard public health agency for decades. Its leadership has guided America through pandemics, outbreaks, and crises with expertise that has saved millions of lives. While others play politics, CDC workers are the reason our communities are healthier, our kids are safer, and our economy is stronger.

“I will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with CDC workers. As Governor, I’ll fight to grow Georgia’s public health economy, support science, provide state health leadership where Donald Trump’s HHS is falling behind, and make sure our heroic workers know their work is respected and valued. Unlike Republicans in Georgia, I will stand up and take on the Trump administration when they cut CDC jobs and insult our workers. We should be lifting up the CDC, not tearing it down.”

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