Robert Kennedy Jr. Confirmed to Lead Health and Human Services Department

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the president’s controversial choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, was confirmed Thursday by a 52-48 vote in the Senate.

A longtime critic of vaccines, Kennedy will oversee the nation’s sprawling health care bureaucracy, which includes the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Medicare and Medicaid.

Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader, was the sole senator to cross party lines, voting no. Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both moderate Republicans, came out in favor of confirmation prior to the vote.

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In a statement Wednesday, Murkowski said that while she had earlier “misgivings” about Kennedy, she was swayed by his commitment to addressing chronic illness as a driver of high health care costs.

“This is the appeal of RFK, and many Alaskans have shared that view with me,” she said.

Democrats uniformly opposed the confirmation. Sen. Charles Schumer, the Democratic leader, called Kennedy a “wildly unqualified conspiracy theorist.” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, argued that “kids in America will die,” as parents will be discouraged from vaccinating their children due to Kennedy’s views. He said that Republicans will come to regret their vote.

“It seems they care more about staying in the good graces of Donald Trump than they do about protecting the lives of kids,” Wyden said.

The Senate Finance Committee voted on party lines to advance the nomination to the Senate floor last week. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, had been publicly wavering but came out in support on shortly before the committee vote, saying he had received “serious commitments” from the administration.

At Kennedy’s confirmation hearing two weeks ago, Cassidy, a doctor, sought to get him to agree that vaccines do not cause autism. Kennedy said he would do so “if you show me data.” He also pledged that he would not hinder vaccine programs funded by Congress.

Cassidy said on the Senate floor last week that he had received hundreds of messages about his vote on the nomination, including from pediatricians who are alarmed at the decline in vaccination rates. He said he expected to work closely with Kennedy.

“His success will be tied to the health of our nation,” Cassidy said.

Kennedy began his career as an environmental attorney. He ran for president last year, initially as a Democrat, before switching to an independent and then dropping out. He endorsed President Trump, and vowed to work to “make America healthy again.”