Editor's note: This story has been updated.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now Health Secretary of the United States.
The Senate voted to confirm Kennedy 52-48 to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday morning. Most Republicans voted in favor of Kennedy except for Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, who sided with Democrats in the vote.
Kennedy was sworn in on Thursday afternoon as the 26th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Oval Office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch.
Alongside the swearing in ceremony, President Donald Trump announced an executive order that establishes a Make America Healthy Again commission, which seeks to identify the remaining questions about childhood chronic disease, in its first 100 days.
"Thank you, President Trump, for your leadership, your confidence in me, and your deep concern for the health of the American people,” Secretary Kennedy said in a statement. “You have truly heard the calls of the millions of mothers who simply want the tools – and the truth – so they can make informed decisions for their children.”
“I have prayed each morning for the past two decades for God to put me in a position to solve the childhood chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy continued, “and now, thanks to you Mr. President, we will make this promise a reality.”
Kennedy was the founder and CEO of Children's Health Defense, an organization that supports vaccine skepticism and suggests that immunizations could be related to rising rates of various childhood conditions.
“Children’s Health Defense is thrilled that our founder Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. It has been a long, tough and ultimately successful road," CHD CEO Mary Holland said in a statement.
“Bobby richly deserves this honor, and CHD is confident that he will make great strides toward the goals he has set for HHS: radical transparency, gold-standard science and making America healthy again.
“We look forward to reporting on HHS activity and advancing HHS objectives where appropriate. CHD will continue to focus on our piece of the American health puzzle: ending the epidemic of chronic childhood disease.”
Senate votes to confirm RFK, McConnell dissents
Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell was the only Republican hold out in Kennedy's confirmation vote. The Washington Post reported that as a child polio survivor, McConnell is an "ardent" supporter of vaccines, though his party has embraced vaccine skepticism in recent years.
McConnell confirmed as much in a statement released after the vote, which began by noting his battle with the disease.
"This Administration – led by the same President who delivered a medical miracle with Project Warp Speed – deserves a leader who is willing to acknowledge without qualification the efficacy of life-saving vaccines and who can demonstrate an understanding of basic elements of the U.S. healthcare system," McConnell wrote in a statement. "Mr. Kennedy failed to prove he is the best possible person to lead America’s largest health agency. As he takes office, I sincerely hope Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division but to restore trust in our public health institutions.”
Following a procedural vote Wednesday to push forward the nomination vote, Senate Democrats held the floor late into the a.m. as a protest against Kennedy's nomination.
While the lawmakers' Thursday speeches centered on Kennedy's views and qualifications, opponents and supporters also took time to address Republicans' early steps toward drafting a reconciliation package. A budget framework that came out of the House yesterday tasks the Energy and Commerce Committee to slash spending by $880 billion over 10 years, which would likely involve major Medicaid reform.
“A vote to confirm Mr. Kennedy is a vote I truly believe many, many Republicans and most Americans will eventually very deeply regret,” said Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, who suggested that a secret vote on RFK’s nomination—where Republicans who voted against him were not identified—would yield a different result.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, accused Republicans of teeing up massive cuts to the program and planning to "kick millions of Americans off of their health insurance in order to help fund more tax cuts to billionaires." He painted Kennedy's inexperience with government healthcare programs as a step toward those goals.
"During his confirmation hearing on everything from abortion to vaccines to Medicare and Medicaid, Mr. Kennedy was given ample opportunity to go on the record about how he would improve these programs, bring down costs, save taxpayers money and improve care," Wyden said. "Instead, he showed a complete lack of understanding of the basics on Medicaid and how it functions. I personally believe it shouldn’t be too much to ask for the future CEO of Medicaid to understand how important it is to provide affordable coverage to millions of families.
“Republicans, with Donald Trump at the helm, are steering our country toward a healthcare cliff. Their ultimate objective is to take away Medicaid from as many people as they can,” Wyden continued.
Chair of the Senate Finance committee, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, reiterated on the Senate Floor that Kennedy has measured up to the ethical standards required by all Senate confirmees. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, Sent a letter (PDF) last week urging Kennedy to reveal more about his financial interests in litigation against vaccine makers.
“While some of my colleagues continue to question his financial agreements, Mr. Kennedy met and then exceeded the requirements set forth by the Office of Government Ethics,” Crapo said. “Mr. Kennedy has participated in one of the most extensive processes … our Senate puts a nominee through, and has succeeded in meeting those standards, and I encourage my colleagues to support his nomination.”
During his first appearance in front of a Senate health committee in late January, Kennedy doubled down on his commitment to “gold-standard science,” stemming the chronic disease epidemic among Americans, and bringing a new level of transparency to HHS.
Kennedy was adamant that his past statements regarding vaccine efficacy were mischaracterized.
Cassidy's skepticism
A tense hearing in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee followed, where Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-Illinois, grilled Kennedy on his views on vaccines.
Despite the exchange, the Senate Finance Committee advanced Kennedy's nomination to be the Secretary of HHS on Feb. 4, when Cassidy’s wavering vote was revealed to favor Kennedy.
In a speech on the Senate floor after the hearing last week, Cassidy defended his crucial vote to endorse Kennedy for Health Secretary on the premise of his personal oversight of Kennedy and HHS.
Cassidy based his endorsement on a series of commitments he received over the weekend from Kennedy and the Trump administration and their promise to foster an “unprecedentedly close relationship” between the two men.
Cassidy said he believes Kennedy will follow mainstream science on vaccine safety and restore trust in federal health agencies.
To this end, Kennedy committed to meeting or speaking multiple times per month with Cassidy and to appear before the Senate HELP Committee quarterly if requested by senators. Cassidy will also give his input on hiring decisions at HHS to ensure mainstream views are represented in the department, the senator said Tuesday.
“Regarding vaccines, Mr. Kennedy has been insistent that he just wants good science to ensure safety,” Cassidy said. “But on this topic this science is good, this science is credible [sic] … But as someone who has discussed immunizations with thousands of people, I do recognize that many mothers need reassurance that the vaccine their child is receiving is necessary, effective and most of all, safe.”
Kennedy repeatedly committed to Senators to “follow the science” on vaccines and to not sow public mistrust in the efficacy of vaccines as Health Secretary.
“I am not going to go into HHS and impose my pre-ordained opinions … I'm going to empower the scientists at HHS to do their job,” RFK Jr. said to the HELP committee.
Related
Key industry stakeholders react to successful nomination of RFK Jr.
Associations that represent pharmacists, patients and chain drug stores published statements after the nomination vote that expressed their hope that the new Health Secretary will work to reform the practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The organizations stressed that drugs need to be more affordable for seniors, and that current practices bar access to people’s pharmacies of choice.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America president and CEO Stephen J. Ubl said: “We also need to rein in abuses that drive up costs at the pharmacy. Half of every dollar spent on medicine goes to middlemen and other entities, and they’re using this windfall to consolidate more control over our health care. Insurers and PBMs are pocketing savings on medicines but making patients pay full price. And hospitals are exploiting the 340B program to charge markups on more medicines while passing the bill to everyone else. Stopping these abuses will lower costs and help people get the care they need."
Two infectious disease groups announced their intention to work alongside Secretary Kennedy and “offer objective insight.” The Infectious Diseases Society of America said it will help provide evidence-based recommendations to combat infectious diseases and explain their link to chronic health concerns.
“We look forward to working with lawmakers to hold Secretary Kennedy to his promise to maintain our nation’s vaccine approval and safety framework, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the Vaccines for Children program and other public health vaccine programs,” Tina Tan, M.D., president of IDSA, said in a statement.
Key politicians also released statements about Kennedy’s confirmation. House Energy and Commerce committee chair Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, and House Ways and Means committee chair Jason Smith, R-Montana., threw their support behind Trump’s successful candidate.
Senator Cassidy, who withheld his support of Kennedy up until his committee had to vote to recommend his nomination to the full Senate, also released a supportive statement after Thursday's final vote. “As chair of the HELP Committee, I look forward to working closely with Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration to improve the health of all Americans,” Cassidy wrote.
Many other groups, including those that represent patients living in long term care facilities, hospitals, HIV treatment advocates, and health plans committed in statements to working with Kennedy on their policy priorities.