Robert F Kennedy jnr, a vaccine critic who endorsed US president Donald Trump after abandoning his own presidential bid, was confirmed by the US Senate on Thursday as the country’s new secretary of health, overcoming resistance from the medical establishment and members of Congress.
The vote was 52-48, with senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky the lone Republican joining all 47 Democrats to vote against Mr Kennedy, who had made pledges to protect existing vaccination programmes in a bid to secure votes of hesitant lawmakers.
The confirmation paves the way for him to be sworn in to the job overseeing multiple high-profile agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration agency (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Once Mr Kennedy is sworn in later on Thursday, Mr Trump will sign an executive order to establish an MAHA commission, named for Mr Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement, and will direct the new secretary “to investigate this chronic crisis plaguing our country”, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News on Thursday.
Mr Kennedy (71) is an environmental lawyer who has long held doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines that have helped curb disease and prevented millions of deaths for decades.
He will now run a department that directs more than $3 trillion in healthcare spending. Also under his purview are the US Medicare and Medicaid programmes that provide health insurance for more than 140 million Americans, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Mr Kennedy has said he wants to work to end chronic disease, break any ties between employees at the US drugs regulator and industry and advise US water systems to remove fluoride. Opponents argued that he is unfit for the job because of his prominent role in the anti-vaccine movement.
Mr Kennedy’s path to confirmation was fraught and did not always appear to have the necessary votes among Republicans. He had to overcome his past as a lifelong Democrat, his previous views in support of abortion, as well as his stance on vaccines. Some prominent members of his own family, including cousin Caroline Kennedy, also urged his rejection.
Ultimately, Senate Republicans closed ranks as they have for every Trump cabinet selection so far.
The White House has offered buyouts to two million civilian full-time federal workers as part of plans to drastically shrink the size of the government. Mr Kennedy has said he wants to get rid of many employees at both the FDA and NIH.
[ Robert Kennedy beats back anti-vax label in testy US Senate hearingOpens in new window ]
Following the Senate vote, Stephen Ubl, of chief executive of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America – the top industry lobby group – said drug makers are eager to work with the Trump administration to address reducing the burden of chronic disease, improve health outcomes and make healthcare more affordable for Americans.
“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,” Mr Ubl said in a statement. “We also need to rein in abuses that drive up costs at the pharmacy.” – Reuters
