Jon Ossoff has penned an explosive letter to RFK Jr. The senator blames him for the “explosive diarrhea” outbreak. The Democrat slammed the HHS Secretary for his recent funding cuts and for calling off a major CDC surveillance.
The senator says Kennedy’s public-health overhaul left the country dangerously unprepared
Jon Ossoff tore into Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a letter dated July 16, blaming him for leaving Americans vulnerable to the rapidly spreading “explosive diarrhea.” He also rebuked the Health and Human Services Secretary for stopping CDC’s surveillance of the parasite responsible for the outbreak.
Ossoff wrote, “Last year, you terminated the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) required surveillance of Cyclospora cayetanensis, the parasite responsible for cyclosporiasis.”
Noting the consequences of Kennedy’s action, Ossoff wrote, “And now a cyclosporiasis outbreak sweeps the nation.” He added a scathing attack on the HHS Secretary, telling him, “Your foolish and self-indulgent demolition of critical public health programs puts Americans at risk.”
Ossoff went on to accuse Donald Trump’s administration of “actively undermining food safety.” He added, “To date, CDC has confirmed 1,645 cases – and there are still thousands of pending cases waiting for CDC to confirm.”
Ossoff then noted, “Americans are suffering from severe diarrhea and painful complications. Across the country, parents feel increasingly uncertain about how, and whether they can, shop safely for their families. This is unacceptable.”
The senator ended the letter with three questions for Kennedy, demanding answers within 72 hours. He enquired whether CDC’s FoodNet surveillance has been restored to track the pathogen in question and why he terminated it in the first place. He also demanded to know the “status of epidemiological and food safety investigations to determine the source and scope of the outbreak.”
Three days have already passed since Ossoff sent the letter to Kennedy. According to multiple reports, the HHS Secretary has not responded to it yet.
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
