Washington, DC [US], February 14 : The US Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr, an anti-vaccine activist as US Health and Human Services Secretary, NBC News reported.
He was confirmed as US Health and Human Services Secretary with a vote of 52-48. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in voting against him.
Mitch McConnell, who is a childhood polio survivor, said Kennedy had a "record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions." In a statement, McConnell said Kennedy "failed" to prove that he was the best possible person to head America's largest health agency.
He stated, "As he takes office, I sincerely hope Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division but to restore trust in our public health institutions."
Kennedy will lead a USD 1.7 trillion agency that steers pandemic preparedness, manages government-funded health care for millions of people and oversees vaccines and the development of pharmaceutical drugs. He was able to overcome concerns among some Republicans over his past stances regarding vaccines and abortion.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who most vocally raised questions over the qualification of Kennedy, ultimately voted in his favour. Cassidy, who is a physician and chairs the Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee, had said he was "struggling" with his decision after he questioned Kennedy during his two confirmation hearings.
In a floor speech last week, Cassidy said that Kennedy gave him reassurances that he would maintain the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on immunization practices and that he would not remove statements on the CDC's website noting that vaccines do not cause autism, NBC News reported.
Before the voting, Kennedy was also able to get the support of two other Republican lawmakers - Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins. After announcing her support for Kennedy, Mukrowski said that he had reassured her regarding his stance on vaccines.
In a post on X, she stated, "He has made numerous commitments to me and my colleagues, promising to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and to base vaccine recommendations on data-driven, evidence-based, and medically sound research."
She added, "These commitments are important to me and, on balance, provide assurance for my vote." Susan Collins also issued similar statement this week, NBC News reported.
Apart from CDC, the US Health and Human Services Secretary oversees the heads of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In 2024, Robert F Kennedy Jr ran for US President as a Democrat before he launched an independent campaign. Later, he dropped his presidential bid and announced support for Donald Trump, taking his "Make America Healthy Again" message onto the campaign trail, NBC News reported.
Kennedy's announcement to closely check chemicals in the US' food received support from both parties. However, his stance against vaccines and his advancement of false theories that they are related to autism did not receive any Democratic support.
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