Senate Finance Committee votes to confirm RFK Jr. to lead HHS

 Senate Finance Committee votes to confirm RFK Jr. to lead HHS


Photo: Senate Finance Committee

The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 Tuesday morning to confirm the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy’s nomination now advances to the Senate in a vote expected to be held next week, according to STAT.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) affirmative vote was crucial in confirming President Donald Trump’s pick to head HHS. It would have taken just one Republican to oppose Kennedy to scuttle Senate Finance Committee confirmation.

Cassidy,  a physician, had expressed doubts about affirming Kennedy based on the nominee’s statements on vaccines. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Cassidy last Thursday grilled Kennedy, wanting “yes or no” answers around his support of immunizations for measles, COVID-19 and hepatitis B. 

Kennedy said several times during that hearing and during the Senate Finance Committee last Wednesday that he supported vaccines and is not “anti-vaccine” but “pro-safety.” 

Members today voted along party lines.

Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho began the hearing by speaking in favor of Kennedy’s nomination.

Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore. said Kennedy was “singularly unfit” to serve as HHS secretary. Wyden cited Kennedy public appearances in which he espoused anti-vaccine views and said vaccines were linked to autism.  Kennedy did not have a basic understanding of Medicare and Medicaid and said he did not know that measles were killing people in Samoa, Wyden said.

If confirmed, Kennedy would put a rubber stamp on administrative efforts to gut Medicaid, Wyden said.

Wyden said the last several days have witnessed the authoritarian takeover of government by Elon Musk and President Trump. They’ve taken over the Treasury department’s payment system that has a direct effect on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Wyden said.



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Fallon Wolken

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