Democratic lawmakers call for RFK Jr.'s resignation after two measles deaths in Pennsylvania

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Calls for RFK Jr.’s Resignation Intensify After First Measles Deaths in Years

Publication Date: 2026-08-25

Calls for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s resignation are growing after two unvaccinated individuals died from measles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. These are the first measles deaths in the United States this year, and the first in Pennsylvania in more than three decades.

• There have been 393 confirmed measles cases in 28 counties in Pennsylvania this year.
• Nationally, there have been 2,777 total cases—a 35-year high.

Political and Public Backlash

“RFK Jr.’s lies and conspiracy theories are making Marylanders sick,” Democratic Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks wrote Tuesday on X. “RFK Jr. must resign or be fired. Vaccines are safe and effective. Listen to your pediatrician.”

“Measles is officially out of control. How many more people need to die before there is a nationwide call for RFK Jr. to resign?” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of the pro-science organizing group 3.14 Action. “His anti-science, anti-vaccine policies are killing people and infecting a generation of Americans with dangerous vaccine skepticism that will take years to recover from.”

These are the latest in a series of calls for Kennedy Jr.’s resignation as he continues to face criticism for undermining vaccine science.

“There is one effective way to reduce the spread and severity of measles: vaccination. And RFK Jr. has undermined it at every turn,” Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock wrote on X last month. “He is a hazard to our health and must resign.”

Governor Shapiro’s Response

While Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro stopped short of calling for Kennedy Jr.’s resignation on Tuesday, he told reporters he had a “blunt” conversation with the health secretary.

“His actions and the rhetoric that’s coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across America, particularly right here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “Sharing conspiracy theories and misinformation does not help the cause of public health—and it leaves people less healthy and less safe, and it leaves parents in a position where it’s harder for us to do our jobs to protect our children.”

Trump Administration Threatens to Demolish Kennedy Center Over Naming Dispute

In a separate development, the Trump administration is threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts if it is not allowed to place Donald Trump’s name on the building.

In a court filing Monday, prosecutors suggested that the proposed $250 million renovation project—which includes adding the president’s name to the facade—was necessary for the institution’s survival, according to The New York Times.

“Without those efforts, the center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down,” the filing stated, “with a determination to follow on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years.”

Financial Fallout

Critics argue that Trump’s overhaul has only hastened the center’s decline. The Kennedy Center is on track to fall $100 million short of its profit goal, a shortfall directly tied to the name change. It expects to miss its budget target by 70 percent and contributed revenue by 25 percent, resulting in a projected $23 million deficit.

Legal and Administrative Battles

The Kennedy Center has become a focal point of the Trump administration’s contentious approach. The Trump-appointed board first tried to close the center in May after multiple artists canceled performances in response to the proposed name change. Democratic Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty successfully challenged that decision in court.

The renovations were later blocked by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who argued the board’s decision was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” Trump’s name was subsequently scraped off the wall, and the building’s facade has remained concealed by a massive tarp.

Earlier this month, the board voted again, this time deciding to proceed despite the legal setbacks.