It was a narrow margin, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, paving the way for him to face a confirmation vote of the entire chamber.
BREAKING: RFK Jr. has just been APPROVED by the Senate Finance Committee as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, advancing his nomination to a full Senate vote.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R – Louisiana) was the key flip that helped Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for… pic.twitter.com/eAyypn7yvL
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) February 4, 2025
Breitbart covered the Capitol Hill development:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, passed through the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday in a 14-13 vote.
Senators in the committee voted on Tuesday morning. All eyes were on Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who announced right before the vote that he would, in fact, vote yes on Kennedy.
“I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning,” he wrote, signaling that Vice President JD Vance was involved in pushing Kennedy across the finish line in the committee.
“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,” the senator added.
Despite a narrow GOP majority, Kennedy’s confirmation isn’t guaranteed. A number of social media commenters offered their take on the likelihood of his confirmation after Tuesday’s committee vote:
Just in: RFK Jr. passed a major hurdle today when the Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to send his bid to lead the DHHS to a full chamber vote later this week.
Full chamber vote should go along party lines, meaning his chances of becoming the next DHHS chief are… pic.twitter.com/4AL9fAvtUL
— Joe Quinn (@SeosQuinn) February 4, 2025
I think her chances are better than RFK Jr
— Falko (@Ed55Angel) February 4, 2025
Meanwhile, in Senate Finance, @SenBillCassidy backs RFK Jr. for HHS. Chances that Trump runs the table on his Cabinet just skyrocketed. https://t.co/QnR1niWOMe
— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) February 4, 2025
Politico provided reason for Trump supporters to be optimistic about one of the president’s more controversial nominees:
“It is time to put someone in there who’s going to go wild,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said after voting to advance Kennedy’s confirmation, referencing President Donald Trump’s promise to Kennedy after Kennedy dropped his presidential bid last summer and endorsed Trump.
Tillis said he meant that he hoped bringing in “a disruptor” like Kennedy, a lawyer and not a health professional, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, would bring new ideas to reduce the cost of health care and drug prices, bolster food safety and improve the government’s health insurance program for low-income people, Medicaid.
The full Senate will now vote, where Kennedy’s chances lookgood after Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who sharply questioned Kennedy at a health committee hearing last week about Kennedy’s assertion that some vaccines are unsafe, backed him.
The Finance panel’s vote marks another win for Trump in getting his Cabinet in place and another display of his power over Republicans in Congress who under other circumstances would likely have rejected Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat who’s supported abortion rights and environmental regulation.
Here’s some additional coverage of the committee vote:
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