On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the United States. The Senate confirmed Kennedy’s nomination with a vote of 52 to 48.
The Senate approved Kennedy’s appointment as Health Secretary with a 52-48 vote around noon on Thursday.
The votes largely followed party lines, with no Democratic senators voting in favor. Mitch McConnell was the only Republican senator who voted against the nomination.
McConnell had previously voted against other cabinet nominees by Trump, including Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence.
On Wednesday morning, the Senate voted 53-47 to proceed with President Trump’s nomination of Kennedy for HHS, ending the debate on his nomination.
The confirmation means Kennedy overcame resistance from some members of the medical community and Congress. Once sworn in, he will lead several key agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
HHS oversees over $3 trillion in healthcare spending. Additionally, the department also supervises federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, which provide medical insurance to over 140 million Americans, as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Kennedy, a environmental lawyer by profession, has expressed his intention to focus on eliminating chronic diseases, disconnecting ties between FDA staff and the pharmaceutical industry, and has suggested the removal of fluorides from the U.S. water treatment systems. Critics argue that his anti-vaccine stance makes him unsuitable for the position.
At 71 years old, Kennedy has long raised questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. However, he denies being anti-vaccine and has pledged to protect current vaccination programs.
Kennedy’s nomination confirmation process was tumultuous as he initially lacked sufficient support within the Republican party and had to overcome his long-standing background as a Democrat. Some prominent members of his family, including his cousin Caroline Kennedy, had urged the Senate to reject his nomination.
Ultimately, Republican senators united to approve his nomination.
A crucial vote for Kennedy came from Bill Cassidy, the Chairman of the Senate Health Committee and Republican senator from Louisiana.
Initially conflicted about Kennedy’s position on vaccines, Cassidy voted in favor after engaging in “intensive discussions” with Kennedy and Vice President Pence during last week’s Senate Finance Committee meeting.
The White House has offered buyout packages to 2 million full-time federal civilian employees as part of a plan to significantly reduce the size of government. Kennedy has expressed his intention to reduce the number of employees at the FDA and NIH.
In August of last year, Kennedy ended his presidential campaign as an independent candidate and shifted his support to Trump. As a result, he introduced the slogan “Make America Healthy Again”.
Kennedy has also called for the ban of hundreds of food additives and chemicals, as well as the removal of highly processed foods from school lunch programs.