Bill Cassidy. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Likely incoming Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy told Axios he has spoken with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. since the election but declined to say whether he could support him for a Trump administration health post.
Why it matters: Cassidy would have a key role shepherding health nominees as the probable chair of the HELP Committee, and Kennedy is one of the major wild cards for the new administration.
Driving the news: Cassidy told Axios on Tuesday evening that he and Kennedy had a "good conversation" after the election, but he declined to elaborate.
- He did not say whether he is open to voting to confirm Kennedy to an unspecified health role, calling that a "theoretical."
- "I'm a doctor, so I always say 'Give me the facts at the time,'" Cassidy said.
- "Sen. Cassidy is looking forward to working with President Trump and supporting a pro-America agenda," a Cassidy HELP spokesman added. "He is not going to contribute to media speculation and get out in front of the new administration by commenting on something the Trump team has not announced."
Between the lines: Kennedy's connections to Trump and his presence on the transition team have alarmed some public health experts who worry that he would use the powers of federal health agencies to undercut vaccines or push misinformation.
- It remains unclear whether Kennedy will be nominated for a Senate-confirmable position like HHS secretary, or whether he would instead be named to a White House czar-like position that does not require confirmation.
- Trump said during the campaign that he would let Kennedy "go wild" on health issues, but the specifics are not yet clear.
- His potential appointment has also sparked fears of a "brain drain" of scientists at federal agencies.
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, another HELP member and a moderate, also declined to weigh in on Kennedy on Tuesday, telling reporters a nomination remained "hypothetical."
