Special Poll
Senate Confirms RFK Jr. as Health Secretary, With McConnell as Sole GOP Opponent
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines, has officially been confirmed as the nation’s top health official, following a 52-48 Senate vote on Thursday that largely followed party lines. As the new Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Kennedy will now oversee a department of nearly 100,000 employees and 13 federal agencies, managing a $2 trillion health budget that includes vaccine policy, Medicare, and public health programs.
The confirmation ends a contentious three-month battle, which became a key test of Republican loyalty to President Trump.
The only Republican senator to oppose the confirmation was Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had previously broken with his party on Trump’s Defense Secretary and National Intelligence Director nominations.
Kennedy, who founded one of the country’s most well-known anti-vaccine organizations, will now be responsible for shaping national vaccine policy, a position that has raised concerns among health experts and lawmakers.
The confirmation was expected after the Senate Finance Committee advanced Kennedy’s nomination last week on a party-line vote. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 53-47 to end debate and move forward with the final vote.
For Kennedy’s nomination to fail, at least four Republican senators would have needed to vote against him along with every Democrat. In the end, only McConnell opposed the confirmation. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who had opposed Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, chose to support Kennedy, despite their ongoing concerns over his vaccine stance.
McConnell, a polio survivor, declined to meet with Kennedy before the confirmation hearings. Late last year, McConnell made clear his opposition to any efforts to revoke approval of the polio vaccine, signaling his broader concerns over Kennedy’s leadership on public health issues.
With Kennedy now in charge of one of the most influential health agencies in the country, the question remains: Will his controversial views on vaccines and public health affect how the agency is run, or will he adjust his stance to match the responsibilities of his new role?