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The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday as the nation’s new Secretary of Health and Human Services, placing the longtime vaccine skeptic in charge of a department overseeing $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine policies, food safety regulations, and health insurance programs covering nearly half the U.S. population.
Hours after the vote, Kennedy was sworn in at the White House by Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, surrounded by his wife, family members, and several lawmakers.
Despite concerns over Kennedy’s well-documented opposition to vaccines, nearly all Senate Republicans supported his confirmation, voting 52-48 in favor. The only Republican to oppose Kennedy was Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor, who has consistently expressed strong support for vaccines.
His vote reflected his previous opposition to other Trump nominees, including those for the positions of Secretary of Defense 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 stated.
“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.”
The rest of the Republican caucus, however, backed Kennedy, embracing his vision of shifting public health priorities toward tackling chronic illnesses such as obesity and heart disease.
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) praised Kennedy’s approach, stating, “We’ve got to get into the business of making America healthy again. Kennedy will bring a fresh perspective.”
Following his confirmation, Trump announced that Kennedy would spearhead a new commission dedicated to improving the country’s overall health.
The appointment marks a significant victory for the populist wing of the Republican Party, which has increasingly embraced Kennedy’s skepticism toward pharmaceutical companies and government health agencies.
Kennedy, 71, has long been a polarizing figure. As a member of one of America’s most influential Democratic families, his name and personal history have placed him in the national spotlight since childhood.
Over the years, he has built a following with his views on food safety, environmental toxins, and vaccine policies—stances that have, at times, aligned with both left-wing and right-wing populists.
His prominence grew during the COVID-19 pandemic when he devoted significant effort to his nonprofit organization, which sued vaccine manufacturers and led social media campaigns aimed at questioning government vaccine mandates.
Now, with Trump’s backing, Kennedy sees himself as uniquely positioned to restore public trust in federal health institutions, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
While some Republicans, such as Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), have encouraged Kennedy to be aggressive in tackling healthcare costs and reforming the system, others have been more cautious.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, sought assurances from Kennedy that he would not alter the government’s official vaccine recommendations before ultimately supporting his confirmation.
Democrats uniformly opposed Kennedy’s nomination, raising concerns over his past statements and potential conflicts of interest. During confirmation hearings, they pressed him to reject the long-debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, but he declined to do so.
Some also expressed fears that he could financially benefit from changing vaccine guidelines or weakening legal protections for vaccine manufacturers.
Financial disclosures revealed that Kennedy earned more than $850,000 last year through a business arrangement referring clients to a law firm that has sued the makers of Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that protects against cervical cancer.
In response to scrutiny, Kennedy pledged to redirect future earnings from the arrangement to his son.
Kennedy assumes leadership of the Health and Human Services Department at a time of dramatic government restructuring, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
Under Musk’s oversight, significant cuts to public health funding have already taken effect, leaving thousands of federal employees uncertain about their job security.
On Friday, the NIH announced new caps on billions of dollars in medical research funding typically allocated to universities for developing treatments for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. The move reflects broader shifts in public health priorities under the Trump administration and its allies, including Kennedy.
Kennedy himself has called for sweeping changes within federal health agencies. Last year, he vowed to fire 600 employees at the NIH, arguing that the agency had become too entangled with the pharmaceutical industry.
He has also advocated for staff overhauls at the FDA and CDC, signaling potential shake-ups in how the federal government handles drug approvals, disease prevention, and public health messaging.
With Kennedy now confirmed, his leadership is expected to bring significant changes to federal health policy.
While his supporters see his tenure as an opportunity to challenge entrenched interests within the healthcare system, critics worry that his skepticism toward vaccines and public health institutions could undermine trust in vital medical programs.
As he begins his role, Kennedy will face mounting pressure from both supporters and opponents, with the future of U.S. health policy at stake. His tenure is certain to shape the national conversation on public health for years to come.
