Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary by the Senate, Politico reported.
Kennedy’s confirmation came despite his controversial history of criticising Covid-19 vaccines and his pledge to take nutrition and health programmes in a bold new direction.
We will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinise the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased, science-driven HHS, accountable to the president, to Congress, and to the American people.
The Senate confirmed Kennedy by a 52-48 vote to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which employs 80,000 people. Only former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell broke ranks, joining Democrats in opposition.
Kennedy is expected to be sworn in on Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office, a move that highlights President Donald Trump’s personal investment in his appointment.
New direction for Republicans
Kennedy’s confirmation signals a significant shift for the Republican Party, which has traditionally been aligned with the healthcare industry and food manufacturers—both of which Kennedy has vowed to challenge. During his own presidential campaign, Kennedy focused on tackling chronic diseases by regulating food additives and environmental chemicals.
Although he dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, the issues are expected to remain at the forefront of his agenda.
Kennedy has long been a critic of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which approves drugs and medical devices. In an October post on X, he accused the agency of being “corrupt” and conspiring with pharmaceutical companies to suppress cheaper alternatives to high-cost drugs.
In November, Kennedy turned his attention to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which oversees billions in health research grants to universities. He announced plans to dismiss hundreds of employees, arguing that the agency has overemphasised infectious diseases at the expense of chronic conditions.
Kennedy’s allies in the anti-vaccine movement have urged him to take sweeping action on vaccines, including increasing scrutiny of new and existing immunisations and overhauling the way the federal government recommends and discusses standard childhood vaccines. During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy refused to disavow his past statements but promised to keep an open mind and not to take away anyone’s vaccines.
Political theatre and public concern
The confirmation vote was a rare spectacle of political drama. Democrats unanimously opposed Kennedy, citing his anti-vaccine views and his alliance with Trump. Republicans, on the other hand, largely supported Kennedy, setting aside their reservations about his support for food and environmental regulation, his anti-vaccine claims, and his past advocacy of abortion rights.
Their decision reflects both their loyalty to Trump and their desire to bring Kennedy’s influential “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement into the Republican fold. Kennedy’s MAHA supporters packed Senate hearing rooms and flooded phone lines to sway undecided Republican senators.
Pharmaceutical, hospital, insurance, and medical groups—traditionally powerful players in Washington—have remained largely silent on Kennedy’s confirmation, believing they cannot influence the outcome and fearing potential backlash if they speak out. Some are even attempting to reframe their goals in a way that aligns with MAHA’s agenda.
Already, federal judges have halted some of the Trump administration’s health policies, including cuts to research grants and the removal of public health information from government websites. A federal judge also ordered the White House to restore webpages of public health agencies that Trump officials had taken down.
