The Senate Finance Committee voted Tuesday to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services after Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a swing vote, joined other Republicans in backing him.
The committee vote fell along party lines, 14-13, setting up a final vote before the full chamber.
Mr. Kennedy, a scion of the famous Democratic family, wants to help President Trump with the slogan Make America Health Again.
He built his reputation as a vaccine skeptic, making him the cause of debate after Mr. Trump nominated him.
Mr. Cassidy was the pivotal vote at the committee level. A doctor by profession, Mr. Cassidy said he came around after the Trump administration committed to a high amount of collaboration on vaccine information and other health matters.
“We will meet or speak multiple times a month,” Mr. Cassidy said on the Senate floor. “This collaboration will allow us to work well together and therefore to be more effective.”
SEE ALSO: Sen. Cassidy backs RFK Jr. after vaccine agreement
Mr. Cassidy also said Vice President J.D. Vance played a heavy role in convincing him to let Mr. Kennedy lead HHS, a sprawling agency with a $1.7 trillion budget and oversight of food and drugs, disease-fighting efforts and major insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, Idaho Republican, said Mr. Kennedy would bring much-needed change to the health landscape in America. The U.S. spends more than other advanced nations on health care but tends to see worse outcomes.
While Mr. Kennedy appears to have enough support to be confirmed on the floor, Mr. Crapo declined to predict the outcome. He also declined to share private discussions Republicans had to shore up support for Mr. Kennedy ahead of the committee vote.
Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican, said he supports Mr. Kennedy “breaking some glass” at HHS to help Americans get healthier and that lawmakers will have the oversight process to ensure he doesn’t stray way out of bounds.
“If he goes too far, I’ll be the first person to step up [and say], ’He went too far,’” Mr. Tillis said.
If all Democrats oppose Mr. Kennedy, he can afford up to three GOP defections in the floor vote, which appears to be the same number of remaining Republican holdouts.
Two of those holdouts, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have raised concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s anti-vaccine history but seemed comforted by some answers he provided on that and other topics during his confirmation hearing.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader, hasn’t said whether he’ll support Mr. Kennedy.
The top Democrat on the finance committee, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, isn’t conceding that Mr. Kennedy’s confirmation is inevitable.
“This is not over yet. We are going to keep fighting for every possible vote on the floor,” he said. “This is the most unqualified nominee I have encountered in my more than 40 years in public service.”
Mr. Kennedy will oversee a sweeping portfolio that involves many facets of America’s regulatory landscape and health. He could help guide Americans’ nutritional choices. He is also expected to crack down on additives in food products and target the cozy relationship between drug companies and government officials who regulate them.
In addition, Mr. Kennedy has pledged to attack the root causes of diseases and conditions such as autism.
“20 years ago, autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!!” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social before the committee vote.
Mr. Kennedy’s willingness to push unsubstantiated ties between autism and vaccines gave some senators pause.
“Mr. Kennedy was given ample opportunity on a bipartisan basis to recant his decades-long career peddling anti-vaccine conspiracies,” Mr. Wyden. “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.”
Mr. Cassidy said he shared those concerns but gained major concessions from Mr. Kennedy. For instance, the senator said the nominee pledged not to erase parts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website that say vaccines don’t cause autism.
Mr. Cassidy recognizes that Mr. Kennedy has a huge following and platform that he could use to broadcast positive messages about health.
Mr. Cassidy had another consideration: He’s up for reelection next year in Louisiana, a state that Mr. Trump won by more than 20 points in November. The senator insisted that didn’t factor into his decision.
“I want Mr. Kennedy to succeed in making America healthy again,” Mr. Cassidy said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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