Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Clearing a key barrier on the way to being Trump’s Health Secretary: Shots

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. probably looks to take the helm as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines, 14-13, to report his nomination to the full Senate.

A vote to confirm him is likely to happen in the coming days or maybe next week.

President Trump has so far succeeded in installing most of his favorite cabinet choices despite the slim congressional. Kennedy was one of his most contentious nominees.

Kennedy is a very unusual choice to run the country’s health agencies, which include Medicare, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes for Health and more. A scion of the famous democratic family Kennedy spent years as an environmental lawyer before he was about anti-vaccine work. This work built its reputation and wealth.

Senator Bill Cassidy, R.-La., made a key vote in favor of Kennedy. A doctor, Cassidy personally spoke in person during hearings last week about his experiences with patients who suffered from lifelong health consequences because they were not vaccinated. He stated on Thursday that he “fought” with the decision, but eventually voted for Kennedy’s advantage.

On Social media TuesdayCassidy posted: “I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House this weekend and even this morning. I would like to thank VP JD (Vance) specifically for his honest advice,” he wrote. He added that he decided to vote for Kennedy after receiving obligations from the Trump administration and “the opportunity to make progress with the questions we agree on as healthy foods and a pro-American agenda.”

Overcome resistance from many sides

Democratic senators were united as opposed to Kennedy, including his former law schoolmate Sener Sheldon Whitehouse, D.-RI and late. Bernie Sanders, I.-VT., who previously agreed with Kennedy Industry.

Since Trump announced Kennedy’s nomination, he faced fierce resistance from the left. An ad campaign from the left-wing advocacy group protects our care targeted selected Republican senators and portrayed Kennedy as an anti-vaccine extremist. He also faced opposition from the right due to his previous support for abortion – former Vice President Mike Pence’s group, who performed US freedom, also ran ads against him. Thousands of doctors and researchers wrote letters that opposed his nomination. Just before he had to perform at Capitol Hill, his cousin Caroline Kennedy Senators sent a scornful letter about him, described Sordid Acts and called him a “predator.”

Republican senators were very friendly to Kennedy and his ideas during hearings last week, including those who are deeply against abortion rights. Also supported him was “Maha mothers”, which Kennedy called those who appeared in effect in his confirmation hearings. The Maha name refers to Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” slogan.

As Cassidy explained during Thursday’s consultation in the Committee on Help (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions): “I have learned that you have had a huge afterwards – my phone is blasting with people who really follow you and there are many who trust you more than they trust their own doctor.

A sudden alliance with Trump

Kennedy ended his own presidential bid as independent in August and threw his support behind Trump. In return, Trump agreed to let Kennedy “get lost with health” and execute his vision.

In his confirmation hearings, Kennedy often referred “his generation” – he was born in 1954 – and described how Americans were healthier back then, and for decades since the country’s health had gone away.

He often referred to data to support his arguments, but when he was confronted with data on the security and effectiveness of vaccines, Kennedy said he was not familiar with it. He said he was “pro-security” and would change his position if he saw data that convinced him. Cassidy replied that he was skeptical that Kennedy would really change as a 71-year-old man.

Kennedy has often been called a conspiracy theorist, a label he denied during the consultations, even though he doubled on untested claims, including that Wi-Fi causes cancer, and that AIDS is another disease in Africa than in the West. A particularly tense moment came when Kennedy suggested that black Americans have another vaccine plan, a position senator Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Called “Dangerous.”

One question that arose during the confirmation process was his financial conflicts of interest. As a person who has created a fortune by suing vaccine producers, he could financially benefit from ongoing litigation while responsible for the federal agencies that regulate these drug brokers. Kennedy wrote in subsequent archives that he would transfer these interests to his son. He also told lawmakers that he understood how the health agencies worked from having sued them many times over the years.