RFK Jr. survives Senate committee vote for HHS nomination
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a confirmation hearing last month. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services narrowly cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday when the Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to recommend his confirmation.
Why it matters: The success of Kennedy's nomination has been far from assured, especially after Kennedy flubbed basics on Medicare and Medicaid, backtracked on past vaccine and abortion stances and was vague about how closely he'd hew to President Trump's policies during his confirmation hearings.
- In the end, all of the Finance panel's 14 Republicans voted to advance his nomination, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a medical doctor whose stance on Kennedy has been closely watched.
- Cassidy cited the "serious commitments" he'd received "from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda" as the rationale for his vote.
- All of the panel's 13 Democrats voted no.
What to watch: The move tees the nomination up for a Senate floor vote.
- How a senator voted in the committee doesn't bind them to vote the same way on the floor, but Republicans have a more comfortable margin on the Senate floor than in committee votes
Zoom in: During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy didn't deny several of his outlandish past statements, although he frequently tried to add context or explanation.
- While he testified that he is neither "anti-vax or anti-industry," he declined to say that vaccines don't cause autism.
- He also made no attempt to convince lawmakers that he had a personal change of heart on his past support for abortion rights, saying repeatedly that he'd implement Trump's plans and that "every abortion is a tragedy."
- Kennedy's financial entanglements, including his financial stake in litigation targeting the makers of a cervical cancer vaccine, also have raised questions about how he'd resolve potential conflicts of interest if he's confirmed.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
