RFK Jr. fires 2 top aides at HHS in staff shakeup

Medical and Human Services HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has fired two of his top aides The biographies of Heather Flick Melanson his chief of staff and Hannah Anderson deputy chief of staff of protocol are no longer pictured on the department s leadership page Secretary Kennedy has made a leadership change within the Immediate Office of the Secretary an HHS spokesperson notified Fox News Digital Effective directly Matt Buckham will serve as Acting Chief of Staff Mr Buckham now serves as the Kennedy s White House liaison at the U S Department of Medical and Human Services where he oversees the recruitment and onboarding of political appointees across the agency He brings valuable experience in personnel strategy and organizational management to this new role the spokesperson added BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE HALTS TRUMP HHS OVERHAUL AFTER DEMOCRAT-LED LAWSUIT Secretary Kennedy thanks the outgoing leadership for their institution and looks forward to working closely with Mr Buckham as the Department continues advancing its mission to Make America Healthy Again the spokesperson also reported Melanson is a lawyer who previously served in multiple top roles at HHS during the first Trump administration HEALTH GROUPS URGE KENNEDY FDA TO REEXAMINE BROAD APPROVAL OF ABORTION DRUGS She previously was HHS' acting general counsel before becoming its acting secretary for administration and then eventually a senior adviser to then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar Prior to joining HHS for the first time Flick was an attorney at Dhillon Law Group a firm founded by Harmeet Dhillon who Trump has tapped this time around to be his assistant attorney general Heather Flick is outstanding and will majority of definitely help soon to be Secretary of Robustness and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr former Trump National Guard Adviser Michael Flynn explained in a post on X after news of Flick's new role Fox News Digital s Alec Schemmel contributed to this record