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 key 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 “Make America Health Again.”
But he built his reputation as a vaccine skeptic, making him one of Mr. Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks.
Mr. Cassidy was the pivotal vote at the committee level. A doctor by profession, Mr. Cassidy chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that held a courtesy hearing on Mr. Kennedy following his grilling before the finance panel.
The senator said he felt conflicted about Mr. Kennedy because the nominee seemed willing to question settled science about vaccines. On the other hand, Mr. Cassidy said Mr. Kennedy had a huge following and platform that he could use to broadcast positive messages about health.
Mr. Cassidy had another consideration: He is up for reelection next year in Louisiana, a state that Mr. Trump won by more than 20 points in November.
As if to increase the drama, Mr. Cassidy arrived late to the dais and locked his eyes on his phone during opening statements.
Mr. Cassidy said Vice President J.D. Vance was critical in getting him to “yes.”
“I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning. I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel,” Mr. Cassidy wrote on X. “With the serious commitments I’ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes.”
HHS is 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.
Mr. Kennedy could impact dietary guidelines this year that 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.
Also, 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, however, gave some senators pause.
“Mr. Kennedy was given ample opportunity on a bipartisan basis to recant his decades-long career peddling anti-vaccine conspiracies,” said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. “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.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.