The Senate votes to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary

The GOP-controlled Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time anti-vaccine activist, to lead the country’s most powerful health agency.

Kennedy was confirmed as health and human service secretary by a mostly party line voice of 52-48. Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Bread rows on yet another of President Donald Trump’s cabinet-nominated who joined all Democrats in opposition.

McConnell, a child survivor, said Kennedy, had a “record for trade in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroded confidence in public health institutions.”

“Mr. Kennedy failed to prove that he is the best possible person to lead America’s biggest health agency,” McConnell said in a statement. “While he joins, I sincerely hope that Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division, but to restore confidence in our public health institutions.”

Still, Thursday’s poll marks another victory for Trump, whose nominated cabinet level that has come for the Senate has been approved.

Kennedy will now be in charge of an expansive, $ 1.7 trillion agency Managing pandemic emergency preparedness manages government -financed health care for millions of people and oversees vaccine and pharmaceutical drug development.

Kennedy, a scion of the famous democratic family, managed to overcome the concerns among some Republicans over his previous attitudes towards vaccines and abortion.

The Republican Senator, who most vocally questioned Kennedy’s qualifications, Bill Cassidy, from Louisiana, eventually voted to confirm him. Cassidy, a long-time doctor who is chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Work and Pensions, had said he “fought” with his decision after he asked Kennedy at two confirmation hearings.

But Cassidy, who is already politically vulnerable, was to run for re -election, said in a floor number last week that Kennedy gave him a number of insurance that he would maintain the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee for immunization practices, and that he Would not remove statements on the CDC’s website and note that vaccines do not cause autism.

Kennedy also secured the support of two other key Republicans, Lisa Murkowski, from Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine, before the vote.

Murkowski advertised her support After, she said, Kennedy assured her of his attitude towards vaccines.

“He has committed me several obligations for me and my colleagues and promised to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and basic vaccine recommendations on data -driven, evidence -based and medically healthy research,” Murkowski wrote on x Wednesday. “These obligations are important to me and give in balance assurance of my voice.”

Collins offered a similar statement this week and said Kennedy Had Allayet Her concern about his attitudes to vaccines.

In addition to the CDC, the HHS secretary oversees the heads of Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Kennedy originally ran to President last year as a Democrat before launching an independent campaign. He eventually fell his bid and approved Trump and took his “Doing America Healthy Again“Message on the campaign track.

Kennedy’s call to more carefully examine chemicals in the country’s food brought support from both parties. But his previous activism against vaccines and his progress with false theories that they are linked to autism prevented him from winning any democratic support.

“When you continue to doubt the settlement science, it makes it impossible for us to move forward,” said Maggie Hassan, DN.H. Kennedy in an emotional statement During a committee’s consultation last month. “So that’s what the problem is here, is the religious and derogation and still to saw doubt so that we cannot move on. And it freezes us in place. “