The U.S. Senate today voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to a final confirmation vote, clearing the final hurdle to his expected confirmation on Thursday.
The Senate voted 53-47 along party lines to invoke cloture and end debate on Kennedy’s nomination, moving the founder and former chairman of Children’s Health Defense (CHD) one step closer to becoming the nation’s health secretary.
The vote indicated that Kennedy had overcome reservations expressed by three key Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
All three fell in line with their Republican colleagues in today’s cloture vote. However, they could still vote no in the final confirmation vote.
Collins on Monday told CNN’s Manu Raju that she planned to back Kennedy after she spoke to him and he said he would “re-examine” the cuts to the National Institutes of Health.
“He told me he believed in the efficacy of the polio vaccine and said he would help restore Americans’ confidence in vaccines and our health agencies,” Collins said in a statement reported by the New York Post.
Today, Murkowski announced she would support Kennedy’s confirmation, saying Alaskans support his attention to “prevention and keeping people healthy.”
One of the most closely watched votes Wednesday was that of McConnell, longtime leader of the Republican Senate, who was an early opponent of Kennedy’s. McConnell, who didn’t have the customary visit with Kennedy, warned him to “steer clear of even the appearance of association” with undermining public confidence in the polio vaccine.
Kennedy’s nomination is one of the most controversial of President Donald Trump’s picks and was also considered one of the most fragile because he faced strong opposition from all Democrats — even though he was a lifelong Democrat — and a few Republicans.
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However, after the lone Republican holdout on the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), said he would support Kennedy and provided a key vote to advance his nomination out of committee last week, The Associated Press reported Kennedy was on track to become HHS secretary.
Kennedy has received widespread public support for his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, including eliminating unhealthy food additives and other environmental toxins and pledging to refocus public health agencies on chronic health conditions instead of infectious diseases.
As HHS secretary, Kennedy will oversee the largest budget — $1.8 trillion for fiscal year 2025 — of any federal agency.
HHS oversees 13 public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Related articles in The Defender
- RFK Jr. Wins Crucial Vote, Moves One Step Closer to Top HHS Post
- Kennedy Calls for ‘Radical Transparency’ at Government Health Agencies, as Sanders Demands CHD Stop Selling Onesies
- Trump’s Picks for Surgeon General and Top Posts at FDA, CDC Earn Mixed Reviews
- Breaking: Trump Taps RFK Jr. to Lead U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
