Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears on the path to confirmation as HHS secretary after securing a key yes vote from Sen. Bill Cassidy and seeing his nomination advance out of the Finance Committee on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Barring last-minutes surprises on the floor, one of the nation's most prominent vaccine critics is on track to become the nation's top health official.
Driving the news: With Cassidy a yes, Kennedy would squeak by even if the remaining on-the-fence senators Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski all vote no. Vice President JD Vance would cast a tie-breaker if Democrats unite in opposition.
- Cassidy, who had said he was "struggling" with the nomination, kept his vote closely held until the Finance Committee met to vote Tuesday morning.
What they're saying: "I've had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning," Cassidy said in a statement.
- "I want to thank [Vance] 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."
Between the lines: Cassidy was under pressure because he's up for reelection next year. Voting against a key Trump Cabinet pick could have increased his odds of losing a primary in Louisiana.
- Cassidy already has one mark against Trump after voting to convict in his second impeachment, over the effort to overturn the election results on Jan. 6, 2021.
- Cassidy said on the Senate floor that he had received commitments from Kennedy and the administration, including to "maintain" the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations "without changes," and to work within "current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems."
- He added that he and Kennedy will speak "multiple times a month."
- During his hearing last week, Cassidy pressed Kennedy to definitively say that vaccines do not cause autism, which Kennedy declined to do.
What's next: Some GOP senators are hoping Kennedy will focus on more bipartisan issues, like healthy foods, rather than going after vaccines.
- "Maybe it is time to have a different kind of disruptor there," said Sen. Thom Tillis, who faces a competitive reelection fight next year.
- "The only way that Bobby Kennedy and I will get crosswise is if he does actually take a position against the safety of proven vaccines," he said, adding that he was satisfied with Kennedy's assurances that he'd let scientists operate.
