On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to the full Senate, clearing a crucial hurdle for the controversial political scion. The panel voted 14-13 in a party-line vote.
Before the vote, Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy — seen as the one Republican on the committee who might buck his party — issued a statement, confirming that he would vote in Kennedy’s favor. “I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning. I want to thank VP JD 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,” he said.
Cassidy chairs the HELP Committee and played a starring role in Kennedy’s hearings, quizzing him on the finer details of Medicare and Medicaid and trying to nail down Kennedy on his beliefs on vaccines and autism. Notably, Trump tried to rally support for Kennedy ahead of the morning vote specifically by invoking stats on autism diagnoses. “20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!! Thank You!,” he wrote on TruthSocial Tuesday.
Support for Kennedy mostly broke down by party line with Republicans largely backing the president’s pick. Before the vote, Democrats blasted Kennedy as uniquely unqualified for the role in a series of statements. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, the Democratic ranking member of the committee, called Kennedy a “grave threat to the American people.”
Kennedy’s nomination now moves to the full Senate for a vote, which will likely occur within the coming days, where he is expected to be confirmed barring any unforeseen changes. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren took to social media following the vote, warning Republicans that any repercussions from Kennedy’s possible tenure in office will fall on their shoulders. “When RFK Jr. follows anti-vax conspiracies instead of science, when he greenlights Trump’s anti-abortion agenda, when he cuts healthcare for seniors — remember who voted yes,” she said.
Cassidy went to the Senate floor to explain his vote, saying that he spoke to Kennedy several times and got assurances from him that the two of them an work together and would speak multiple times a month. “Mr. Kennedy and the administration committed that he and I would have an unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship if he is confirmed,” he said, per the Washington Post.
During hearings before the Finance Committee and the HELP Committee last week, Kennedy was forced to explain many past comments including those linking anti-depressant use to school shootings and and his reluctance to trust widely accepted health data. The proceedings occasionally turned to non-health topics as Kennedy was questioned on his dabbling with conspiracy theories as well as a sexual-assault allegation levied against him by a former family babysitter, a claim he denies.
