Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made Senator Bill Cassidy a raft of promises to secure the Louisiana Republican’s support in a key committee vote Tuesday that advanced Kennedy’s nomination as health secretary.
According to Cassidy, who spoke on the Senate floor after the Finance Committee vote, Kennedy promised he would “work within” existing vaccine approval and safety frameworks if confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy also pledged to meet with Cassidy regularly and allow him input on hiring decisions at HHS.
Cassidy had challenged Kennedy several times during confirmation hearings last week, specifically on Kennedy’s debunked assertion that vaccines cause autism, and admitted to struggling with his choice. Ultimately, he joined his 13 fellow Republican senators in voting for Kennedy, while all 13 Democrats on the committee voted against.
In his speech after the vote, Cassidy said he spoke with Kennedy “multiple times” over the weekend as well as Tuesday morning. What ultimately cemented his support was commitments by Kennedy and the Trump administration that they will have an “unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship,” if Kennedy is confirmed.
A full Senate vote has not yet been scheduled.
Specifically, Kennedy promised to meet or speak with Cassidy multiple times a month and seek input for hiring decisions, even for roles that don’t require Senate confirmation. The latter pledge is notable as Kennedy seems eager to reshape the workforces of agencies overseen by HHS. He has told employees at the Food and Drug Administration to “pack their bags,” and previously alluded to plans to replace over 600 employees at the National Institutes of Health.
Kennedy also told Cassidy he would maintain an important vaccine panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention without changes. This panel, known as ACIP for short, meets regularly to establish vaccination recommendations. It’s been seen as a potential target for Kennedy, should he aim to shake up current guidelines for routine shots.
Cassidy also secured pledges that the CDC under Kennedy would not remove statements on its website explaining that vaccines do not cause autism. Other promises included a commitment that the chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — currently Cassidy — would be able to choose a representative on any new board formed to review vaccine safety, and that the HELP committee would receive 30 days’ notice of any coming changes to vaccine safety monitoring programs.
“We need a leader at HHS who will guide President Trump’s agenda to Make America Healthy Again,” Cassidy said in his speech. “Based on Mr. Kennedy’s assurances on vaccines and his platform to positively influence Americans’ health, it is my consideration that he will get this done.
A noted vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has repeatedly undermined the efficacy and safety of proven shots. He founded and previously chaired the Children’s Health Defense, an organization that promotes vaccine misinformation and links certain shots to conditions like autism. Kennedy’s views were sharply criticized by many Democratic senators on the finance and health committees during the confirmation hearings last week.
