On February 13, the Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unlike many of President Trump’s recent cabinet nominees, Kennedy faced opposition from both Republications and Democrats, who raised concerns about his lack of medical training, unfamiliarity with federal policies, support for anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, among other issues. In the end, Kennedy won over all but one Republication senator: former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who railed against Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views and efforts to undermine trust in public health institutions. As HHS Secretary, Kennedy will oversee the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) – Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and, as a physician, a staunch supporter of vaccines – initially had reservations about Kennedy. However, after many reported conversations with the nominee, Cassidy was convinced that Kennedy was committed to “protecting the public health benefit of vaccination.” Cassidy plans to regularly meet with Kennedy to continue these conversations and build a collaborative working relationship.
It is unclear if Kennedy will uphold the promises made to Cassidy to secure the nomination. For example, Kennedy informed Cassidy that he would “maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) without changes,” but it appears that Kennedy is already preparing to remove members of this and other advisory committees across HHS agencies. Additionally, the first ACIP meeting since the confirmation, originally scheduled for February 26 through February 28, has been postponed.
Prior to the confirmation vote, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, raised concerns about the Trump administration’s directive to cap facilities and administrative costs (also called indirect costs) for NIH grants. (See our previous article on this issue here.) Collins reported that she had been in contact with the then-nominee about these cuts, with Kennedy promising to reexamine the directive once confirmed. Collins went on to vote “Yes” on Kennedy’s nomination to lead HHS, but the fate of this directive remains tied up in the courts at this time.
