Senate confirms Kennedy as Health Secretary

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the vaccine skeptic and former presidential candidate who fled his family’s party and threw his “medical freedom” movement behind President Donald Trump, won Senate confirmation as the nation’s health secretary Thursday and was sworn in hours later during an Oval Office ceremony.

The ceremony, conducted by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch as Trump looked on, capped a remarkable rise for Kennedy and a curious twist in American politics. He was confirmed by a Republican Senate, without a single Democratic vote, in a chamber where his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncles, John F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, all held office as Democrats.

During the ceremony, Kennedy remarked that he first visited the Oval Office as a child in 1961, the year John F. Kennedy became president. He said Trump, whose presidential campaign he joined in August after abandoning his own, had been a blessing in his life: “On Aug. 23 of last year, God sent me President Trump.”

Trump said he intended to sign an executive order establishing the President’s Commission to Make America Healthy Again, named for the moniker Kennedy has given his movement. Of Kennedy, Trump said, “There’s no better person to lead our campaign of historic reforms and historic faith in American health care.”

The Senate vote to confirm Kennedy, 52-48, was almost entirely along party lines. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a polio survivor and the former Republican leader, voted no, the lone Republican to oppose Kennedy. McConnell issued a searing statement explaining his vote.

“Individuals, parents, and families have a right to push for a healthier nation and demand the best possible scientific guidance on preventing and treating illness,” it read in part. “But 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.”

At the swearing-in ceremony, Trump criticized McConnell, calling him a “very bitter guy.”

Kennedy will now lead the federal Department of Health and Human Services, a sprawling agency with 13 operating divisions, including some — the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — that he has called corrupt.

Those scientific agencies are already reeling from the onslaught of directives coming from the Trump administration. The NIH, targeted for budget cuts, has just lost its No. 2 official, who retired to avoid being pushed into a job he did not want, according to people familiar with his decision.

The CDC’s weekly scientific journal, which produces reports on outbreaks and other health threats, was muted by orders that prohibited the release of any public communication until it had been reviewed by a presidential appointee or designee — delaying a report on bird flu. Information was later posted, then deleted, from the department website.

The question now: What will Kennedy do with his newfound power and platform? Kennedy has said he wants to tackle the chronic disease epidemic, rid grocery stores of ultra-processed foods, and root out conflicts of interest in federal agencies and the expert panels that advise them. He has also talked about banning pharmaceutical advertising, and has vowed to “follow the science” in pursuing research on vaccine safety.

But he has offered few specifics. Some of Kennedy’s allies argue that he will be able to get more done if he focuses on less contentious topics like chronic disease and the food supply — issues that can generate broad bipartisan support. But Kennedy’s allies in what they call the “vaccine safety” movement, which its critics call the anti-vaccine movement, want to see him focus his energies there.

One of Kennedy’s closest allies in that movement, Del Bigtree, told reporters at a crowded news conference after the swearing-in that his organization, MAHA Alliance, will now work to mobilize Americans in support of Kennedy’s agenda. “What he has said is, ‘Del, I need you to go out and actually make America healthy again,’” Bigtree said.

He said he hoped one of Kennedy’s first steps would be to release to the public information from a government database, the Vaccine Safety Data Link, that monitors vaccine safety after the shots come to market.

Like Trump, Kennedy is a divisive figure. His Make America Healthy Again movement has married the far left and the far right. But mainstream Democrats denounce him as a conspiracy theorist and science denier, and warn that his decades-long effort to sow mistrust in vaccination will endanger the health of all Americans.

“A vote to confirm Mr. Kennedy is a vote to make America sicker,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader from New York, said moments before the vote.

Apart from McConnell, Republicans who had concerns about Kennedy’s views on vaccination — including Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a doctor and chair of the Senate Health Committee — swallowed them to support his confirmation. Others sidestepped the issue of vaccines entirely to emphasize Kennedy’s embrace of more bipartisan agenda items, including ending a chronic disease epidemic and getting ultra-processed foods off grocery store shelves.

“We have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic facing Americans,” said Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Two of the industries that have been frequent targets for Kennedy were quick to offer friendly statements after he was confirmed.

PhRMA, the trade association for the pharmaceutical industry, said it was eager to work with Kennedy on his plan to reduce levels of chronic diseases — and their own plans to limit the ability of intermediaries to raise drug prices.

The Consumer Brands Association, which represents makers of ultra-processed foods, issued a more pointed statement, reminding Kennedy that they are the nation’s largest manufacturing employer, and that they would like to see aspects of the status quo remain in place.

“The federal regulatory agencies within HHS operate under a science and risk-based mandate, and it is critical that framework remains under the new administration,” said Sarah Gallo, the group’s senior vice president for federal affairs.

Kennedy’s views about vaccination were at the center of Democrats’ fight against him. He has said he favors both the measles vaccine and the polio vaccine, and would not do anything to prevent or discourage people from taking them. But he opposes vaccine mandates, even for schoolchildren, and when pushed, he refused to accept the mainstream scientific consensus that vaccines do not cause autism.

“Mr. Kennedy is fond of saying he’s not making recommendations about whether parents should vaccinate their kids — he’s just asking questions and giving people choices,” Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, said Wednesday after the Senate voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

“That’s a slippery tactic used by conspiracy theorists to dodge any real responsibility for their words and actions,” Wyden added, “and it’s absurd coming from somebody who’s about to be confirmed for a job that is entirely about making recommendations.”

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, was more succinct: “If this were a secret ballot, this man wouldn’t get 20 votes.”

Republicans, even those uneasy about Kennedy, said he had assuaged their misgivings.

“I continue to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, wrote in a lengthy social media post Wednesday.

But, she added, “He has made numerous commitments to me and my colleagues, promising to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and to base vaccine recommendations on data-driven, evidence-based, and medically sound research.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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