The US Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday.
The Republican-majority Senate approved Kennedy’s nomination in a 52-48 vote, largely along party lines.
The final decision followed a procedural vote on Wednesday that set the stage for the confirmation roll call. Kennedy, a prominent vaccine sceptic and environmental advocate, previously ran for president in 2024 before suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump.
He required a simple majority for confirmation. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only Republican to oppose Kennedy’s appointment. McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader who contracted polio as a child, has long championed vaccinations.
“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world. I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles,” McConnell said following the vote.
Following the confirmation, the president’s political team wrote on social media, “Congratulations @RobertKennedyJr!” Kennedy endured intense Senate confirmation hearings last month, where he faced scrutiny over past remarks, particularly his assertions linking vaccines to autism—claims that have been refuted by scientific research.
Democrats also highlighted his leadership role in Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit organization he founded that has challenged vaccines and litigated against the federal government, including over the approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children. With Senate Democrats on the Finance Committee rejecting Kennedy, attention turned to Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).
Cassidy ultimately endorsed Kennedy before the committee vote, securing a party-line 14-13 victory to advance the nomination to the full Senate. During the hearings, Cassidy expressed reservations, stating, “Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.”
However, he later supported Kennedy after receiving a series of commitments, including quarterly HELP Committee hearings, multiple meetings per month, HELP Committee representatives on vaccine safety review boards, and a 30-day notice plus a hearing for any proposed changes in vaccine safety policies. “These commitments, and my expectation that we can have a great working relationship to make America healthy again, is the basis of my support,” Cassidy stated.
(Fox news)
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