RFK Jr. confirmed as HHS secretary

Robert Kennedy Jr. has been confirmed as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The controversial environmental lawyer, who has a reputation for questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccines and has argued they cause autism, received near-unanimous support from Republican senators.

Kennedy, a former independent presidential candidate, was confirmed as HHS secretary in a 52 to 48 vote down party lines. Former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was the sole Republican who voted against Kennedy’s confirmation.

“I'm a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I've watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” said McConnell in a statement after the Senate vote. “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.”

McConnell accused Kennedy of having a record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions. Kennedy will now oversee agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both of which have been sued by the Children's Health Defense, an organization that he used to chair until 2023. (RELATED: Kennedy nomination clears hurdle, heads to Senate floor for final vote, Regulatory Focus 4 February 2025)

“Mr. Kennedy failed to prove he is the best possible person to lead America’s largest health agency,” said McConnell. “As 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.”

During his confirmation hearings, Democrats also raised serious concerns about Kennedy’s views on vaccines and other claims, such as the COVID-19 virus was genetically engineered and targeted black and white people while sparing Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, and that Lyme disease was likely a materially engineered bioweapon. (RELATED: Kennedy’s contentious nomination hearings hinge on vaccine, abortion policy, Regulatory Focus 30 January 2025)

In his defense, Kennedy said that he was not an anti-vaxxer and that he was only questioning what many in the scientific community consider adjudicated scientific facts. He has said he only wants to follow the facts to ensure the public health community applies sound science and will not inject his personal opinions into their conclusions.

“In my advocacy, I have often disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions,” said Kennedy in his opening remarks to the Senate Finance Committee on 30 January. “Well, I'm not going to apologize for that.”

“We have massive health problems in this country that we must face honestly,” he added. “Should I be so privileged as to be confirmed, we'll make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods, we will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply, we will remove financial conflicts of interests from our agencies, we will create an honest, unbiased, gold-standard science at HHS accountable to the president, to Congress, and to the American people. We will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to good health.”

After the Senate confirmed Kennedy to lead HHS, the pharmaceutical lobby group PhRMA said it looked forward to working with Kennedy.

“During his confirmation hearings, Secretary Kennedy discussed the need to reduce the burden of chronic disease, improve health outcomes and make health care more affordable for the American people," said PhRMA CEO Stephen Ubl. “A key part of the solution is to strengthen the ecosystem that makes our country the best place in the world to develop new medicines."

"American patients have more choices and more access to the most innovative medicines because of policies that encourage risk taking, collaboration and competition," he added. "Strengthening the ecosystem by fixing the flaws of government price setting will help us win the global race for medical innovation."

The medtech lobby group AdvaMed also issued a statement saying it agreed with Kennedy's goals to fight chronic disease and improve Americans' health. It said it wants to work with the new HHS secretary on policies to achieve their mutually shared goals.

“Secretary Kennedy will oversee the FDA, which is critical to maintaining our position as the most innovative country in the world with respect to the medical technologies that save countless lives daily," said AdvaMed CEO Scott Whitaker. "

“The medical technology industry is the backbone of our health care system. Our innovations in the hands of doctors and nurses in every care setting are essential to ensuring that America gets back on track to healthier and longer lives," he added. "We look forward to sharing with Secretary Kennedy and his team how medtech brings tremendous value to patients and the U.S. health care system.”

RFK Jr. confirmed as HHS secretary

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