Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moves closer to becoming HHS secretary

After two contentious hearings, and one narrow vote, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took a significant step in his bid to lead the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

The Senate Finance Committee narrowly voted in favor of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 Tuesday, along party lines, in favor of Kennedy’s confirmation. The full Senate must vote to confirm Kennedy as the nation’s lead healthcare official, but Kennedy cleared a key hurdle with the committee's vote. A full Senate vote hasn't been scheduled.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and a physician, voted in favor of Kennedy’s confirmation. Cassidy voiced repeated concerns at a hearing last week about Kennedy’s reluctance to speak about the safety of vaccines and he represented a critical vote. Cassidy said he was “struggling” with his vote.

But Cassidy put out a message moments before the vote saying that he voted for Kennedy after having some concerns addressed. He said he had "very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning."

“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 wrote on X.

Cassidy did not speak at the hearing in explanation of his vote.

Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, delivered stinging criticism of Kennedy before voting against him leading the agency.

“He is singularly unfit to serve as HHS Secretary,” Wyden said.

“Last week, Mr. Kennedy was given ample authority on a bipartisan basis to recant his decades-long career peddling anti-vaccine conspiracies,” Wyden said. “Instead, he spent his time with us dodging and weaving and gave no indication that if confirmed as HHS Secretary, he would stand by the long, settled science surrounding routine vaccinations.”

Wyden added, “Mr. Kennedy also failed, on several occasions, to show a basic understanding of the Medicare and Medicaid programs he would be tasked with overseeing. Colleagues, that alone should be disqualifying.”

Kennedy also faced repeated questions about his stance on vaccines at a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week, and a Senate Health Committee hearing the following day.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat who voted to reject Kennedy, pointed to the important work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which falls under the health department. He says the CDC protects the public from unseen dangers.

“I simply do not trust him to oversee the CDC,” Warnock said. “He's unqualified, and I dare say everybody here knows it. We need a serious person at the helm of the HHS, an agency responsible for … the health of about half of all Americans.”

Warnock cited concerns about President Donald Trump’s pledges on the campaign trail to allow Kennedy to go wild on health care.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who voted for Kennedy, said he hoped that Kennedy does live up to Trump’s words.

“I hope he goes wild and actually finds a way to reduce the cost of health care,” Tillis said.

Tillis also said, "I hope he goes wild on food safety discussion so that we can actually improve our food safety supply. I hope he goes wild on the healthcare supply chains, and, in fact, tries to make sure that drug prices go down."

But Tillis also expressed concern about Kennedy's views on vaccines.

"If he does actually take a position against the safety of proven vaccines, that will be a problem for me," he said.

With the Senate Finance Committee's vote, the full Senate will decide to confirm or reject Kennedy as the nation's next health secretary. So far, all of Trump's cabinet picks have been confirmed.

The Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, so only a few Republicans could vote against Kennedy if all Democrats vote in opposition. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Vice President Vance could cast a tie-breaking vote, which he had to do for the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Some health leaders spoke out against Kennedy due to his repeated criticism of vaccines, as well as his lack of scientific of medical background or any experience managing a large healthcare organization.

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, offered a strong statement of support in favor of Kennedy's confirmation at the beginning of the hearing.

"Mr. Kennedy has proven his commitment to the role of Secretary of HHS, and I will vote in favor of his nomination. I strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same," he said.

Cassidy had been viewed as a critical vote on Kennedy's confirmation. He's the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and he pressed Kennedy repeatedly on his past dismissal and doubts of the safety of vaccines during a hearing last week.

Citing Kennedy’s record on vaccines, Cassidy said last week that he wondered if a man “who spent decades criticizing vaccines and who's financially vested in finding fault with vaccines, can he change his attitudes and approach now that he'll have the most important position influencing vaccine policy in the United States?”

At the hearing, Cassidy cited his wish to support Trump's agenda as a Republican, and his fears if lives are lost if Kennedy is confirmed as health secretary and fewer people are vaccinated.

Cassidy is one of four physicians in the U.S. Senate, and all four are Republicans. Two of the other physician lawmakers - Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, and Roger Marshall, R-Kansas - voted in support of Kennedy's confirmation Tuesday.

The other doctor in the Senate, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, has previously voiced his support of Kennedy leading the health department.