The Senate voted 52-48 to approve Trump’s candidate and led the nation’s most prominent health department.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed Secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services, where President Donald Trump was highly scrutinized by lawmakers and confirmed to the post on February 13 by the Senate with 52-48 votes. He was sworn in his oval office on February 13th.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY.), a polio survivor who previously expressed concern about Kennedy’s vaccine views, voted against confirming Kennedy, the only Republican to vote no. I threw it. He also voted against the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard for the National Director of Intelligence and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Kennedy will head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which manages 13 agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health.
Kennedy promises major changes across the department.
Under the “again to American Health” campaign as HHS’s Secretary, Kennedy deals with the so-called “corporate capture” of federal health agencies and removes toxic chemicals from the country’s food supply, leading to chronic disease. We aim to reduce what we call epidemics. the purpose.
Kennedy says he believes that until the huge businesses that have on the FDA, CDC and the Department of Agriculture have made an impact, it will hardly change for American health.
Upon closing the White House bid, Kennedy vowed to establish a “Make America healthy again” (Maha) movement and end the country’s chronic disease epidemic.
“The first thing I’ve done every morning in the last 20 years is to kneel and pray to God. He puts me in a position to end the chronic disease epidemic and help American children,” Kennedy said in 2024. He spoke in August. , when he decided to support Trump.
Fighting chronic illness, improving child health, and dealing with the impact of businesses on government agencies were key parts of the presidential election platform that Kennedy mentioned.
The founder of Children’s Health Defense has also called for a review of pharmaceutical companies’ advertising rules, urging Trump to ban drug ads on television. He also believes in eliminating liability protections for pharmaceutical companies.
When the calendar came to 2025, Kennedy strengthened his efforts to alleviate concerns among senators on both sides of the aisle about his views by meeting multiple lawmakers.
He appeared on January 29 before the Senate Finance Committee for his first confirmation hearing as Trump’s candidate for HHS Secretary.
He was questioned by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on January 30th. In a partisan vote on February 4th, the Republican-controlled Senate committee voted 14-13 to advance the nomination of the senator to the floor. For a full vote.
Critics considered his views “anti-vax” or “anti-science,” but Kennedy told the committee he was “scientific” and “evidence-based.”
Ultimately, Cassidy chose to advance Kennedy to a full Senate vote, endorsing the candidate on February 13th.
Vaccine stance
Kennedy has faced criticism for his perceived vaccine stance ever since announcing the president’s run. Protests, primarily from Democrats, have escalated since Trump nominated HHS.
Comments from lawmakers at a hearing, Senate Finance Committee vote, and on February 12, Croto exhibited a sharp division between the parties over Kennedy’s views.
Most Republicans praised Kennedy with a focus on his past advocacy work and dealing with the country’s chronic disease outbreak, but Democrats criticized him for his stance on vaccine efficacy.
Before the confirmation vote on February 13, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) called Kennedy a “roughly unqualified conspiracy theorist” and supported the candidate in the Senate. He urged him not to do so.
Kennedy said he has not consistently opposed to the vaccine, adding that he is an advocate for vaccine safety, informed consent and nonpartisan research on vaccine efficacy.
“I’ve never been an anti-vaccine,” Kennedy told the Epoch Times in September 2024. It allows people to make sure science-based safety research is available and make their own assessments of whether the vaccine is good for them. ”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-ore.), a ranking member of the Senate Treasury Committee for Democrats, was an outspoken critic of Kennedy. On February 13, before the roll call, he once again pleaded with the senator not to vote for Kennedy’s confirmation. He called Kennedy “an unqualified candidate to become our country’s chief medical officer.”
Sen. Ron Wyden, a ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, (D-RORE)., was named Robert, a candidate for Secretary of Health and Human Services, at a confirmation hearing of Kennedy at the U.S. Capitol on January 29, 2025. I have a question for F. Kennedy Jr. Get McNamee/Getty Images
Several Republicans had expressed concern about Kennedy’s views on vaccines and abortion before ultimately voting for the candidate.
Sen. Susan Collins (R Maine), one of the few Republicans who voted against some of Trump’s candidates, told reporters earlier this week that he would support Kennedy. She voted for Jesus on his confirmation.
Sen. Mike Krapo (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, provided support to Kennedy before the confirmation slip was held on February 13th.
“Contrary to the constant attacks he has been making, he has made it very clear to support safe vaccinations and want to see that research has been done and doing well. “It’s,” Krapo said.
“When Kennedy announces his appointment for the role of HHS Secretary, we bring together the great minds of science, medicine, industry and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic facing Americans. There is a generational opportunity for him. I agree with him, we must go into a business that will make America healthy again.”
He encouraged a “strong yes vote” by confirming Kennedy as the HHS secretary.
Kennedy’s advisor, Dr. James Lyons Wyler, told the Epoch Times in December 2024 that Kennedy was “not an anti-pastor.” He is anti-fraud. ”
“He’s not an anti-vaccine. He’s an anti-vaccine injury.”
Lyons-Weiler is optimistic about the impact Kennedy will have as an HHS secretary.
“You’d think that the overall health status among Americans we’ve ever seen is the most significantly more positive increase and we’ll see the end of story-based science,” Lions Weiler said.
Trump said Kennedy would give him the freedom to investigate the potential link between vaccines and autism if he gets confirmed by the Senate.
For years, Kennedy has said that autism in some children is likely linked to childhood vaccines.
