Last week, I gave credit to Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy for his rigorous questioning of secretary of health and human services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. During the questioning and in remarks, Cassidy laid out his concerns about RFK Jr.’s long history of promoting skepticism of life-saving vaccines. In praising Cassidy, I remarked that the true test will be how he votes. This morning, he failed that test.

Cassidy cast the tie-breaking vote to send RFK Jr.’s nomination out of the Finance Committee on which he also serves, and explained why he is now a “yes”:

Just last week, Cassidy rightly wondered whether RFK Jr. was really capable of change. “Does a 70-year-old man — 71-year-old man who has spent decades criticizing vaccines and who is 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?” Cassidy mused. “Will you continue what you have been, or will you overturn a new leaf at age 70?”

Cassidy knew then and he knows now that RFK Jr. is not going to suddenly become a responsible voice on the issue of vaccines. But he is up for reelection in a state that Trump won by 22 points, and he ultimately decided that his objections were not worth risking his political career over.