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RFK Jr. gets key vote, moves closer to confirmation as HHS secretary
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Key Takeaways
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination advanced with a 14-13 Senate Finance Committee vote, highlighting partisan divisions.
- Sen. Bill Cassidy's support was pivotal, despite concerns over Kennedy's vaccine skepticism.
Kennedy’s controversial nomination advances to a full Senate vote after a 14-13 party-line decision.
The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 along party lines Tuesday to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), moving him one step closer to leading the nation’s public health. The vote sets the stage for a full Senate vote on his confirmation.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R-Louisiana), a key Republican swing vote who was notably undecided last week, even after two hearings with the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committees, voted along party lines and in favor of Kennedy.
Kennedy’s confirmation hearings were full of debate, with policymakers condemning his long record of vaccine skepticism and controversial public statements. The Finance Committee’s vote was ultimately decided by Sen. Cassidy’s last-minute support for Kennedy. Cassidy, a practicing physician-turned-politician, expressed his hesitancy to vote for Kennedy at the conclusion of Thursday’s HELP hearing on account of his stance on vaccines — an issue which Cassidy feels strongly about.
“Mr. Kennedy, if confirmed, will have the opportunity to deliver much needed change to our nation’s health care system,” said Finance Committee Chair Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) in his opening statement. His statement underscored the GOP view of Kennedy as a much-needed disruptive force in health care, encouraged by Republican lawmakers, and President Donald J. Trump, to “go wild” on public health.
Policymakers make statements
In his opening statement, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), once again encouraged his fellow Senators to vote against Kennedy, citing his anti-vaccine views, his involvement in the 2019 Samoan measles outbreak, the likelihood that he follow President Trump’s directive to end access to the abortion medication, mifepristone, and his lack of understanding of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Sen. Wyden claimed that, over the past four years, Kennedy has spread anti-vaccine views or misinformation during 114 public appearances, linking vaccines to autism in 36 of those appearances.
Regarding mifepristone, Sen. Wyden said that Kennedy “seemed to have no understanding of his role in enforcing existing federal laws that guarantee women the right to life-saving abortion care.” Sen. Wyden also expressed his concern that Kennedy would simply serve as a “yes-man” under President Trump.
Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) also had the opportunity to speak prior to the vote, both expressing similar sentiments of opposition toward Kennedy.
“He’s unqualified, and I dare say everybody here knows it,” Sen. Warnock said, adding that Kennedy appears more interested in “chasing conspiracy theories than chasing solutions to lower health care costs."
Despite vocal opposition from Democrats, Republicans stood behind Kennedy.
Following the vote, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), lauded Kennedy’s potential to disrupt a stagnant health care system. “I hope he goes wild and actually finds a way to reduce the cost of health care. I hope he goes wild and, instead of having the discussions that we have had for the 10 years that I’ve been in the senate about making Medicare work and making people on Medicare healthier, I hope he goes wild and figures out how to do it, because the status quo has not achieved much in the way of gain,” he said.
Sen. Tillis added that, while he looks forward to Kennedy’s approach as someone who is not a trained health care expert, he would have a problem with Kennedy taking a position against the safety of proven vaccines. Although, Sen. Tillis does not expect this to become a problem.
A pair of Democratic senators also spoke after the vote — Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont).
Sen. Warren warned of a clear conflict of interest, citing Kennedy’s unresolved financial ties to vaccine litigation. During last week’s hearings, Kennedy said he intended to retain a financial interest in the ongoing litigation, even though he would be able to sway that litigation as HHS Secretary. Since then, Kennedy has changed his position, instead planning to give his financial interest to his son.
“No one is fooled about what is happening here,” Sen. Warren said. “Mr. Kennedy’s [refusal to renounce financial interest in vaccine litigation] is an appalling conflict of interest.”
Sen. Welch then turned his attention to Kennedy’s character, stressing the importance of leadership qualities for the nation’s top health care official. “I want a disruptor in the health care system and one leading it. I don’t want a destroyer,” Welch said. “There are three issues before any nominee that we have to consider: One is character, another is competence and the third is priority.”
Kennedy’s confirmation, now pending a full Senate vote, marks a pivotal moment for U.S. health policy, and with Republicans holding a 53-seat majority, Kennedy may soon be free to “go wild".
