RFK Jr. confirmed as HHS Secretary

As expected, the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation’s next health secretary. Kennedy will officially serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he will oversee prominent federal health agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and vaccine skeptic, endured two contentious hearings in front of the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committees, in which he was pressed about his views on vaccine efficacy, history of making controversial statements, and knowledge of programs integral to his position as health secretary, among other concerns.

Throughout the hearings, Kennedy — who President Donald Trump nominated to lead the “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)” movement — repeatedly insisted that he is not anti-vaccine, he just needs to review the science.

When pushed, Kennedy claimed support for both the polio and measles vaccines, vowing that he would not prevent or discourage Americans from getting vaccinated. He refused, however, to accept that vaccines do not cause autism.

In keeping with the MAHA movement, Kennedy expressed his intention to address nutrition and the chronic disease epidemic, eliminating ultraprocessed foods from store shelves and increasing transparency in the nation’s health agencies.

The 53^rd GOP vote

Despite voting in favor of Kennedy yesterday when the Senate voted 53-47 along party lines to invoke cloture and end debate on his nomination, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), the former Republican leader, was the lone Republican to oppose Kennedy’s nomination during today’s vote.

In a statement explaining his decision to vote against Kennedy, Sen. McConnell cited his own childhood bout with polio and having witnessed vaccines save millions of Americans from devastating diseases. “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”

Sen. McConnell continued, referencing Kennedy’s long record of pushing dangerous conspiracy theories and undermining public trust in health institutions, saying Kennedy is not entitled to lead a movement intended to improve health in America.

“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. health care system,” McConnell said. “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 restore trust in our public health institutions.”