CV NEWS FEED // The U.S. Senate Finance Committee Tuesday voted 14-13 to advance to a full Senate floor vote President Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
All Republicans on the committee voted in favor of Kennedy while all Democrats voted against him. Republicans control the Senate, holding 53 of its 100 seats.
14-13! RFK advances out of committee. pic.twitter.com/wZ3KMkcBuF
— Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) February 4, 2025
Ahead of the committee’s vote, Trump took to TRUTH Social to reaffirm his support for the Catholic former presidential candidate.
Trump specifically referred to Kennedy’s push for the government to look into the sudden increase in autism diagnoses among American children over the past couple of decades.
“[Twenty] years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000,” Trump wrote. “NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!!”
Trump issues a new statement in support of RFK Jr. as his confirmation heads to a committee vote today. pic.twitter.com/T44d411QSh
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 4, 2025
Kennedy’s nomination received a huge boost when Finance Committee member Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, announced he would vote in favor. Many observers viewed Cassidy as one of the key swing votes with potential to decide whether Kennedy is confirmed.
“I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning,” Cassidy wrote on X Tuesday morning.
In his post, Cassidy thanked Vice President JD Vance “for his honest counsel.”
I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning. I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel. With the serious commitments I’ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the…
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) February 4, 2025
“With the serious commitments I’ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes,” Cassidy wrote.
One of four physicians in the Senate, Cassidy is a gastroenterologist. While in office, he has compiled a consistently pro-life voting record. Widely regarded as a moderate, Cassidy was also notably one of seven Republicans to vote to convict Trump at the conclusion of his second impeachment trial in February 2021.
Cassidy is up for reelection next year.
>> LAST WEEK: RFK CALLS ABORTION A ‘TRAGEDY’ DURING SENATE HEARING <<
As of Tuesday afternoon, leading prediction website Polymarket indicated that Kennedy had a 96% chance of being confirmed by the Senate. Days earlier, the same website projected Kennedy’s chance of being confirmed at around 75%.
Kennedy is well-known for his advocacy for a series of policies dubbed the “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)” movement – modeled after Trump’s ubiquitous slogan “Make America Great Again (MAGA).”
Specifically, the nominee advocates for addressing the country’s epidemic of chronic disease, removing harmful substances and additives from food, and reining in the power of large pharmaceutical companies (colloquially known as “Big Pharma”).
Kennedy was a Democrat until late 2023. Despite a mixed history on the issue of abortion, he affirmed his support for Trump’s pro-life policies during a Senate confirmation hearing last week.
“I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy,” Kennedy told pro-life Sen. James Lankford, R-OK. “I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year.”
“I serve at the pleasure of the president,” the nominee added. “I’m going to implement his policies.”