The Senate Finance Committee voted on Tuesday to forward the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the full Senate, setting up a vote on whether Mr. Kennedy, one of the nation’s most vociferous critics of vaccines, should become the nation’s next health secretary.
Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican and a physician who has been on the fence about Mr. Kennedy, cast the deciding vote, after days of publicly agonizing over what to do. The final tally was split along party lines: 14 Republicans voted yes, and all 13 Democrats opposed him.
For Mr. Cassidy, voting against Mr. Kennedy — and defying President Trump — would have been a politically perilous step. He is up for re-election in 2026 and is already facing a primary challenge from the right.
On Monday, Mr. Cassidy said that he and Mr. Kennedy had a “cordial” conversation over the weekend, but that he was “still working through” how he would vote. During last week’s confirmation hearing before the health committee, Mr. Cassidy delivered impassioned, anguished remarks expressing his reservations about Mr. Kennedy.
“I’ve been struggling with your nomination,” Mr. Cassidy said after Mr. Kennedy repeatedly refused to disavow his past criticism of vaccines. The senator told the nominee he was worried that Mr. Kennedy would use his platform as a cabinet secretary to continue to cast doubt on vaccines and that he was too old to change.
“Does a 70-year-old man, 71-year-old man who spent decades criticizing vaccines, and who’s financially invested in finding fault with vaccines — can he change his attitudes and approach now that he’ll have the most important position influencing vaccine policy in the United States?” Mr. Cassidy asked.
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