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Senate Health, Education Chair Bill Cassidy Struggles with RFK Jr.鈥檚 Nomination

The GOP senator and former physician expressed misgivings about whether Trump鈥檚 controversial HHS pick could be trusted with the public鈥檚 health.

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Updated, Feb. 4
In a 14-13 vote along party lines Tuesday morning, the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance Robert Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services. After clearing this first hurdle to confirmation, the vote heads to the Senate floor where he can afford to lose the support of no more than three Republicans, if all Democrats rally in opposition.

The Finance Committee vote, which could have ended Kennedy鈥檚 bid, appeared to hinge on Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a former physician who was outspoken about his trepidation during last week鈥檚 heated hearings. Moments before Tuesday鈥檚 session he on X indicating his final position: 鈥淲ith the serious commitments I鈥檝e 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.鈥

On the second day of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 contentious confirmation hearings, GOP senator and health and education committee chair Bill Cassidy appeared to be balancing his support for President Trump against his serious misgivings about Kennedy heading the Department of Health and Human Services 鈥斅燼nd how one could harm the other.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 someone that is not vaccinated because of policies or attitudes you bring to the department, and there鈥檚 another 18-year-old who dies of a vaccine-preventable disease 鈥 it鈥檒l be blown up in the press,鈥 said Cassidy, referring to a young woman he treated who experienced liver failure as a complication of vaccine-preventable Hepatitis B. 鈥淭he greatest tragedy will be her death. But I can also tell you an associated tragedy: that it will cast an absolute shadow over President Trump鈥檚 legacy.鈥

Kennedy, whose first day of testimony Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee , can afford to lose the votes of only three Republican senators if all Senate Democrats vote against him. Cassidy holds particular sway because of his Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee chairmanship and his previous career as a physician. The Senate is expected to vote on Kennedy鈥檚 next week. 

Like many of his Republican peers, Cassidy noted his areas of agreement with Kennedy 鈥 such as the importance of removing ultra-processed food from American diets 鈥 but in a break from his party, he vehemently fought Kennedy on his anti-vaccination rhetoric. 


Sen. Bill Cassidy, R- La., has emerged as a key vote in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation process. (Getty Images)

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got a megaphone 鈥 with that influence comes a great responsibility,鈥 Cassidy said. 鈥淣ow my responsibility is to determine if you can be trusted to support the best public health.鈥

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 struggling with your nomination,鈥 he added.

At both hearings this week, Kennedy tried to distance himself from his past anti-vaccination sentiments stating, 鈥淣ews reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety 鈥 I believe that vaccines played a critical role in health care. All of my kids are vaccinated.鈥

If confirmed, Kennedy would take control of an agency with a budget and 90,000 employees spread across 13 agencies, including the and the . 

Historically, Kennedy has falsely linked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 vaccine schedule to a rise in chronic disease, saying at a town hall last year, “What I’m focused on is the bigger issue of chronic disease, and that is linked to the vaccine schedule in some cases, the explosion of chronic disease.”

When questioned this week, though, he pivoted, arguing that he supported the childhood vaccine schedule, which many state legislatures rely on to determine their school vaccine policies. Currently, all 50 states have vaccine requirements for children entering child care and schools. 

In one particularly tense exchange, Democratic Sen. Angela Deneece Alsobrooks of Maryland asked Kennedy to clarify previous remarks he had made about Black people requiring a different vaccine schedule than those of other races. 

Alsobrooks, who is Black, asked, 鈥淲hat different vaccine schedule should I have received?鈥

When Kennedy began to respond, saying, 鈥淏lacks need fewer antigens,鈥 she cut him off.

鈥淲ith all due respect,鈥 she said, 鈥渢hat is so dangerous. I will be voting against your nomination.鈥

Vaccines and autism

At one point, Cassidy pulled up a National Institutes of Health study titled and began to share the data with Kennedy. In response, Kennedy doubled down, despite his earlier claims that if he were shown the data and research he would correct his record of and publicly apologize. 

鈥淭here are other studies as well,鈥 Kennedy instead responded, pointing to one, which he said 鈥渟hows the opposite.鈥 

鈥淚鈥檇 love to show those to you,鈥 he said.

Multiple senators, including Democrats Bernie Sanders and Tammy Baldwin, pointed to the decades of research disproving the connection and expressed concern that Kennedy wasn鈥檛 already familiar with or convinced by the body of peer-reviewed research.

鈥淭hat is a really troubling response,鈥 Sanders said, when Kennedy noted he was open to looking at studies disproving his previous claims. 鈥淭hose studies are there 鈥 it鈥檚 your job to have looked at them.鈥

Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, also a medical doctor, and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, though, applauded Kennedy鈥檚 willingness to question science and keep an 鈥渙pen mind.鈥

鈥淢y God, if we didn鈥檛 question science, where would we be today?鈥 asked Mullin.

鈥淭hese are the nuances you鈥檙e unwilling to talk about,鈥 said Paul, 鈥渂ecause there鈥檚 such a belief in submission. Submit to the government.鈥 

He then implied schizophrenia might also be linked to childhood vaccines or food.

School shootings and mental health

In 2024, Kennedy appeared to link school shootings with Prozac and other drugs used to treat mental illness. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no time in American history or human history that kids were going to schools and shooting their classmates,鈥 Kennedy told the comedian Bill Maher 鈥淚t really started happening conterminous with the introduction of these drugs, with Prozac and the other drugs.鈥

On Wednesday, Sen. Tina Smith, Democrat from Minnesota, pushed him on this issue, asking if he still stands by that claim.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody can answer that question,鈥 he responded, noting that it should be 鈥渟tudied along with other potential culprits.鈥 He subsequently dodged a question about whether or not SSRIs, a class of drugs used to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, are dangerous, noting he knows people who have had a harder time getting off of these commonly prescribed drugs than heroin. Kennedy is a former heroin addict.

鈥淭hese statements you鈥檝e made linking antidepressants to school shootings reinforce stigmas鈥 Smith responded. 

In a heated exchange, Michael Bennet, Democratic senator for Colorado and the former Denver Public Schools superintendent, accused Kennedy of giving disingenuous answers that did not mirror decades of public statements. 

鈥淯nlike other jobs we are confirming around this place,鈥 he said, 鈥渢his is a job where it is life-and-death for the kids that I used to work with in the Denver Public Schools and for families all over this country 鈥 It is too important for the games that you are playing, Mr. Kennedy.鈥

Medicaid and Medicare missteps

During both hearings, Kennedy flubbed basic questions related to Medicare and Medicaid. On Thursday, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire grilled him about basic elements of Medicare, which provides coverage to older and disabled Americans. He responded to all questions either incompletely or incorrectly. 

鈥淵ou want us to confirm you to be in charge of Medicare, but it appears that you don鈥檛 know the basics of this program,鈥 said 

At the first hearing on Wednesday, he appeared to mix up Medicare and Medicaid, which covers low-income populations and provides to schools annually for physical, mental and behavioral health services for eligible students. 

A focus on the 鈥淢AHA moms,鈥 and ultra-processed foods

Kennedy repeatedly spoke about pediatric chronic health issues 鈥 ranging from obesity to allergies 鈥 linking them to environmental toxins and ultra-processed foods, issues that serve as the backbone of his 鈥淢ake America Healthy Again鈥 movement.

鈥淪omething is poisoning the American people,鈥 Kennedy said when asked what his recipe to fulfill the MAHA tagline would be. The food supply, he said, is the 鈥減rimary culprit.鈥

He said the movement has been led largely by 鈥淢AHA moms, from every state, many of them who have traveled to be here yesterday and today. This is one of the most powerful and transcendent movements I’ve ever seen.鈥

Multiple Republican senators also referred to the MAHA moms, with one noting he would vote to confirm Kennedy in part to honor that group鈥檚 views.

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