By Lia DeGroot
CQ-Roll Call
WASHINGTON 鈥� The Senate voted Thursday morning to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr . to serve as Health and Human Services secretary.
The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R- Ky., a polio survivor, becoming the only Republican to vote against Kennedy. McConnell has become the rare GOP 鈥渘o鈥� vote on President Donald Trump鈥檚 nominations, also voting against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and, yesterday, against Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
鈥淚鈥檓 a survivor of childhood polio,鈥濃�� McConnell said in a statement after the vote. 鈥淚n my lifetime, I鈥檝e watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world. I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles 鈥� a record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions does not entitle Mr. Kennedy to lead these important efforts.
鈥淎s he takes office, I sincerely hope Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division but to restore trust in our public health institutions.鈥�
The Senate vote came after Democrats held the Senate floor throughout the night to voice their opposition to Kennedy鈥檚 confirmation in a series of blistering speeches.
Democrats are worried about Kennedy鈥檚 long history of sowing doubt in the scientific data that support vaccines and his inexperience with the federal health agencies.
But his Republican supporters are hopeful that Kennedy, 71, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, can bring a newfound focus to chronic disease and nutrition 鈥� areas that they think have been affected by industry influence in the health agencies. The sprawling department includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, among other agencies.
In their floor speeches, Democrats drew attention to Kennedy鈥檚 past and painted him as unfit to deal with the challenges facing the healthcare system, including high costs of care and the ongoing outbreak of H5N1.
But despite early outcry about his nomination, Kennedy鈥檚 confirmation came as little surprise after he clinched a key Finance Committee vote last week from Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Bill Cassidy, R- La., who previously expressed concerns about the nominee鈥檚 history of anti-vaccine advocacy.
In order to win Cassidy鈥檚 support, Kennedy had, among other commitments, pledged to allow the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chair to weigh in on some staffing decisions at HHS.
But Sen. Patty Murray, D- Wash., said that she didn鈥檛 believe that Kennedy would carry out that commitment. She warned Republicans against being pushed by the Trump administration to accept decisions they don鈥檛 agree with.
鈥淚f you think RFK Jr. will change who he is, you are lying to yourself 鈥� If you do not draw a line somewhere, you will cross every line you could ever imagine,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou will be pushed further and further into accepting things you never thought you would 鈥� things you never thought you could.鈥�
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R- Alaska, a key moderate vote, announced her support for Kennedy in a tweet Wednesday, saying that she initially had reservations about his past on vaccines, but ultimately decided to vote for his confirmation.
She added that she is 鈥渆ncouraged鈥� by the time that Kennedy has spent with indigenous people and promised to focus on the Indian Health Service.
鈥淰accines have saved millions of lives, and I sought assurance that, as HHS Secretary, he would do nothing to make it difficult for people to take vaccines or discourage vaccination efforts,鈥� Murkowski wrote.
Sen. Edward J. Markey, D- Mass., was critical of Kennedy鈥檚 focus on chronic disease, saying that slashing funding for health care will actually increase the burden of chronic disease in the country.
鈥淲e cannot address chronic disease if we are slashing Medicare and Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act or recklessly cutting off funding from hospitals and community health centers,鈥� Markey said, referring to the 2010 health care law.
Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said in a statement that he was concerned about the Trump administration鈥檚 efforts to cut research funding and limit the agencies鈥� public communications. But he was hopeful that chronic disease and improving nutrition could be an area his organization could work with Kennedy on.
鈥淲e remain skeptical of Secretary Kennedy鈥檚 willingness to use his position and influence to move us toward a day when health in America is no longer a privilege for some, but a right for all,鈥� Besser said.
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