RFK Jr. Appears On Track To Become US Health Secretary As He Wins Key Republican Senator’s Support

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 29: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services testifies during his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. In addition to meeting with the Senate Finance Committee, Kennedy will also meet with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee tomorrow. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vocal vaccine skeptic and activist lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears on track to become the nation’s health secretary after winning the crucial support of Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor who says Kennedy has assured him he would not topple the nation’s childhood vaccination program. In a starkly partisan vote Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate Finance Committee advanced Kennedy’s nomination 14-13, sending his bid to oversee the U.S. Health and Human Services agency for a full vote on the Senate floor later. With Cassidy’s vote no longer in doubt, Kennedy’s nomination is likely to succeed absent any last-minute vote switches. Cassidy says Kennedy “will be the secretary.” All Democrats on the committee opposed Kennedy.