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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received enough votes from the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday morning to advance his nomination to a final vote on the floor, bringing him one step closer to becoming the next secretary of Health and Human Services.
The final vote tally in committee was 14 ayes to 13 nays. The slim margin of victory is enough to move the former Independent presidential candidate forward.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was one of the finance committee members who voted for Kennedy’s confirmation. He explained that he was favorable toward Kennedy based on the environmental lawyer’s approach to health as a non-healthcare professional. Tillis noted that Kennedy “views this through the lens of an attorney.”
“It is time to put a disrupter in, it is time to put somebody in there that’s going to go wild, [and] there are areas where I think that’s exactly what we need,” he remarked. “…The fact is that there is not a single organization that I consider to be credible in this space.”
Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) – who voted against Kennedy’s confirmation – also argued her position. She alleged that Kennedy would not disentangle himself from having financial interest in ongoing vaccine litigation after leaving office as the potential secretary of HHS. She also claimed that Kennedy had amended his position on this and would move that financial interest to his son.
“No one is fooled about what’s happening here,” she claimed. “Mr. Kennedy refuses to say that he will not participate in these lawsuits financially the day after he leaves office.”
Warren has been one of Kennedy’s harshest critics.
To win the final confirmation vote, Kennedy will need Republicans to unify to support his nomination. According to the Associated Press, Kennedy can only afford to lose three Republican votes on the floor. Vice President J.D. Vance may need to be the tie-breaker, depending on how the vote splits.
On Tuesday, President Trump emphasized the importance of Kennedy’s nomination and potential appointment as secretary at the HHS.
“20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!! Thank You! DJT[.],” the president wrote on Truth Social.
