Kennedy Jr. has fired two of his top aides in an abrupt shakeup of the leadership at the nation’s sprawling health department, two people familiar with the matter told CNN. Kennedy this week ousted chief of staff Heather Flick Melanson and deputy chief of staff for policy Hannah Anderson,

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two top deputies at the Department of Health and Human Services, ABC News has learned. Heather Flick, Kennedy's chief of staff, and Hannah Anderson, chief of staff of policy, are departing, according to a department spokesman and another person familiar with the decisions.

The health secretary ousted his chief of staff and a deputy chief of staff, both of whom were seen as practical and effective government veterans.