
Robert F. Kennedy Jr Confirmed as HHS Secretary, Nearly Along Party Lines
Key Takeaways
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed as HHS Secretary, despite vaccine skepticism and controversial health views.
- His confirmation faced scrutiny over financial ties to vaccine litigation and shifting abortion stances.
The Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr as secretary of HHS, setting up the vaccine skeptic to carry out major changes in pursuit of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.
In a 52-48
The lone Republican holdout was Sen Mitch McConnell (R, Kentucky), a polio survivor who has taken issue with Kennedy’s decades of opposition to vaccines. McConnell has also voted against confirming some other nominees in the new administration, including Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense.
President Donald Trump’s initial announcement of Kennedy as his pick to lead HHS was met with both
The path to Kennedy’s confirmation was rocky, with Democrats drawing attention to his
Kennedy’s answers to
Both Democrats and Republicans took issue with Kennedy’s shifting stances on abortion, which were rehashed throughout the confirmation hearings.5 Democratic senators brought up that as recently as March 2024, he had said he supported a woman’s right to choose abortion “throughout the pregnancy,” and accused him of ceding his beliefs for political gain. Meanwhile, some conservatives including former Vice President Mike Pence aimed to
During the hearings, Sen Bill Cassidy (R, Louisiana) asked Kennedy tough questions about his history of vaccine skepticism and embrace of flawed science claiming links between vaccination and autism.5 Cassidy, a physician, admitted that he was grappling with whether to advance Kennedy’s nomination, but ultimately decided to
Now, with Kennedy officially confirmed to head HHS, he will be handed a portfolio of thorny issues ranging from compliance with
References
- US Senate 2025-02-13. C-Span. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.c-span.org/event/us-senate/us-senate/430935 - Joszt L. Support and skepticism emerge as reactions to Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s HHS nomination. AJMC®. November 15, 2024. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/support-and-skepticism-emerge-as-reactions-to-robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-hhs-nomination - Bonavitacola J. Kennedy reveals key decisions in ethics report as confirmation hearing looms. AJMC. January 23, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/kennedy-reveals-key-decisions-in-ethics-report-as-confirmation-hearing-looms - Jewett C, Craig S. Kennedy says he will not keep fees from HPV vaccine litigation. New York Times. January 30, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/health/rfk-jr-hpv-vaccine-lawsuits-fees.html - Steinzor P. 5 key takeaways from RFK Jr’s confirmation hearings. AJMC. January 31, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/5-key-takeaways-from-rfk-jr-s-confirmation-hearings - Steier J. Anatomy of a failure: why this latest vaccine-autism paper is dead wrong. Unbiased Science. January 25, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://theunbiasedscipod.substack.com/p/anatomy-of-a-failure-why-this-latest - Grossi G. RFK Jr fails to offer a clear Medicaid, Medicare strategy. AJMC. January 29, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/rfk-jr-fails-to-offer-a-clear-medicaid-medicare-strategy - Cost sharing. Medicaid.gov. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/cost-sharing/index.html - Hest R. Assessing physician acceptance of Medicaid patients using State Health Compare. State Health Access Data Assistance Center. August 25, 2022. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.shadac.org/news/14-17-physician-Mcaid-SHC - Stolberg SG. Pence wages lonely crusade against Kennedy as abortion opponents avoid fight. New York Times. January 24, 2025. Updated January 31, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/us/politics/pence-kennedy-abortion.html - Watch: ‘every abortion is a tragedy,’ RFK Jr says. PBS. January 29, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-every-abortion-is-a-tragedy-rfk-jr-says - Munz K. RFK Jr confirmation for HHS secretary advances to full Senate after committee votes. AJMC. February 4, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/rfk-nomination-advances-to-full-senate - Grossi G. FDA quietly removes draft guidance on diversity in clinical trials following executive order on DEI. AJMC. January 31, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/fda-quietly-removes-draft-guidance-on-diversity-in-clinical-trials-following-executive-order-on-dei - Bonavitacola J. Americans claim health care access is top priority in public health. AJMC. February 6, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/americans-claim-health-care-access-is-top-priority-in-public-health - Steinzor P. Trump reverses some Biden drug pricing initiatives, potentially impacting Medicare costs. AJMC. January 22, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/trump-reverses-some-biden-drug-pricing-initiatives-potentially-impacting-medicare-costs - Klein HE. FTC report highlights prescription drug price markups by PBMs. AJMC. January 14, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/ftc-report-highlights-prescription-drug-price-markups-by-pbms
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