Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed as Health Secretary Despite Vaccine Controversy
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in on Thursday as President Donald Trump’s health secretary following a tight Senate vote, placing a well-known vaccine skeptic in charge of $1.7 trillion in federal health spending, vaccine policies, food safety, and health programs that serve nearly half the U.S. population.
In a move that underscored party loyalty above all else, nearly every Republican supported Trump’s pick despite concerns over Kennedy’s stance on vaccines. They voted 52-48 to confirm him as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a striking departure from his family's long-standing Democratic ties. Every Democrat opposed the nomination.
The lone Republican to break ranks was Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, who also voted against Trump’s picks for Pentagon chief and director of national intelligence.
“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” McConnell said in a statement. “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”
Just hours after being sworn in, the politician sat down for his first interview with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, where he made it clear that a top priority will be strengthening efforts to track vaccine side effects.
Kennedy’s approach to public health has struck a chord with many in the GOP, especially his push for federal agencies to shift their focus toward tackling chronic illnesses like obesity.
“We’ve got to get into the business of making America healthy again,” said Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who praised Kennedy’s “fresh perspective” on the role of public health.
The We the People Party co-founder has long been in the public eye, not only for his famous last name and family’s tragedies but also for his staunch and often controversial views on food, chemicals, and vaccines.
His following surged even more during the COVID-19 pandemic when he dedicated himself to a nonprofit that took legal action against vaccine manufacturers and led social media efforts challenging public trust in vaccines and government health agencies.
