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On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after a full Senate vote. The senators voted 52-48, along party-lines, in favor of Kennedy. Mitch McConnell was the only republican senator who voted “no.”
Kennedy was picked to be secretary of the HHS by President Donald Trump in November 2024 following the presidential election. Kennedy faced the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill for questioning on Jan. 30 for a three and a half hour questioning before the full Senate vote on Thursday.
During the Committee hearings, senators laid in on Kennedy’s stance on vaccines. He refuted allegations of being anti-vax and tried to distance himself from past skeptical remarks about the safety of vaccines. Senators and Kennedy went back and forth on the topic of whether vaccines cause autism, with Kennedy mostly replying with, “Show me the science.” On the other hand, Sen. Rand Paul and Markwayne Mullin defended Kennedy and were in favor of his skepticism towards vaccines and science.
Further worrying democrats about his nomination, Kennedy seemed confused about Medicare and Medicaid, programs that he will oversee. He incorrectly said Medicaid is entirely funded by the federal government and Medicare is a fee-for-service program paid by employer taxes. The Medicaid program is funded by the states and the federal government. Medicare has many parts or categories of coverage.
On the topic of abortion care, in response to Senator Tim Scott’s question, Kennedy said he will follow President Trump’s abortion policies and he plans to hire pro-life deputies in the HSS.
The HHS is a cabinet-level department and one of the largest federal agencies. As HHS Secretary, Kennedy is now in charge of overseeing multiple health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, the Food and Drug Association, the National Institute of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
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