Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took a step closer to becoming the Secretary of Health and Human Services on Tuesday.
In a 14-13 party-line vote, the Senate Finance Committee advanced Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services to the full Senate. The vote was in doubt following tense hearings last week, where GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a doctor, expressed uncertainty about supporting Kennedy, according to CBS.
On Tuesday, Cassidy stated that he reached his final decision on Kennedy with assistance from Vice President J.D. Vance, who is a former colleague of Cassidy in the Senate.
“I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning,” Cassidy wrote on X Tuesday morning.
“I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel. 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,” he wrote.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) stated that Kennedy embodies the change the nation needs.
“Mr. Kennedy, if confirmed, will have the opportunity to deliver much needed change to our nation’s health care system,” he said, according to the New York Post. “He has spent his career fighting to end America’s chronic illness epidemic and has been a leading advocate for health care transparency, both for patients and for taxpayers.”
The chairman noted further that RFK Jr. answered more than 900 questions from the panel.
Cassidy was concerned about Kennedy’s opposition to vaccines and his past comments linking vaccines to autism, according to NBC.