ATLANTA () – Georgia’s two U.S. senators are calling for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down — or be removed from office.

Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock say Kennedy is a “threat to public health” and unfit for the role.

Ossoff blasted Kennedy’s leadership, pointing to recent shakeups at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), headquartered in Atlanta. He says nearly a quarter of the agency’s workforce — including several top leaders — has been removed.

“He never should have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate and needs to resign. It is one thing to be a skeptic, but quite another to be reckless and destructive,” Ossoff said.

The senator also warned that cuts and disruptions at the CDC put children and families at risk.

“The destruction of the CDC here in Georgia and the dismantling of American public health is putting children and families at risk,” Ossoff added. “Every day this continues, the damage is compounded. Mr. Kennedy has demonstrated his incompetence. This is gross mismanagement and it cannot continue.”

Warnock echoed those concerns, accusing Kennedy of jeopardizing chronic disease and cancer research. He urged President Donald Trump to fire Kennedy if he does not resign.

The CDC, founded in Atlanta in 1946, is the nation’s leading public health agency. It has recently lost around 600 employees due to federal budget cuts.