A Senate subcommittee decided Tuesday to send Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to the entire chamber for consideration as secretary of health and human services, clearing a significant obstacle.
After Kennedy was able to calm Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., about his previous anti-vaccine views, the Senate Finance Committee pushed through his confirmation in a party-line vote.
After interrogating Kennedy during two confirmation hearings last week, Cassidy, a physician, indicated he had severe doubts about his suitability to head the large agency and that he was having difficulty making up his mind. Cassidy chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in addition to the Finance Committee.
Cassidy told X in a statement before Tuesday’s vote that he had “very intense conversations” with Kennedy and the White House over the weekend, and he thanked Vice President JD Vance in particular “for his honest counsel.”
“With the serious commitments I ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes,” Cassidy stated.
Kennedy, a descendant of the legendary Democratic family, first ran as a Democrat and then as an independent for president in 2024 before withdrawing to support Trump. Kennedy launched a “Make America Healthy Again” campaign while campaigning for Trump, denouncing food producers and the use of unhealthy additives in the country’s diet.
Despite the fact that numerous senators from both parties said they were in favor of making food products safer, Kennedy faced other serious issues during two days of questioning last week.
Kennedy stumbled when responding to simple inquiries regarding Medicaid, a topic that makes up a significant portion of the health secretary’s duties. Democratic senators raised concerns about what they described as serious conflicts of interest if he were approved, including the possibility that he might profit indirectly from ongoing legal action against a vaccine manufacturer he would oversee in his capacity as HHS secretary.
However, Kennedy’s repeated denials of the effectiveness of vaccines were the subject of some of the most vocal criticisms. Kennedy was repeatedly criticized by Cassidy during a committee hearing last week for his refusal to accept the evidence that vaccines do not cause autism.
“You’ve approached it using selected evidence to cast doubt, and I’ve approached it using the preponderance of evidence to reassure,” Cassidy stated last week.
In 2026, Cassidy will run for reelection. Because of his vote to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial, he has already attracted a GOP primary opponent.