Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spends most days in closed‑door meetings, arriving late and often scrolling on his phone, according to staff who sit in his quarterly briefings. Colleagues say he isolates himself from senior officials, relying on a handful of hand‑picked advisers while major posts sit vacant, including the surgeon general and several NIH institute directors.

The administration’s staff cuts and Kennedy’s dismissal of the CDC director have left the department scrambling. About half of the 27 NIH institutes operate under acting heads, and the FDA chief quit amid tobacco‑policy pressure. Experts warn that the leadership void could impair responses to emergencies such as the WHO‑declared Ebola outbreak, which Kennedy has barely addressed publicly.

In February the White House tapped former health‑care executive Christopher Klomp as chief counselor to “smooth out operations,” and Kennedy’s spokeswoman promised aggressive recruitment to fill vacancies. Yet insiders observe that the secretary’s focus remains on food‑policy and anti‑vaccine advocacy, leaving the broader health portfolio—covering Medicare, Medicaid and pandemic preparedness—largely unattended.