Senate confirms RFK Jr. as HHS secretary in 52-48 vote

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: February 13, 2025 / 11:46 AM EST


Washington — The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, following weeks of questions surrounding whether the controversial nominee would win the Senate's approval. Senators voted 52 to 48 to confirm Kennedy. The vote fell largely along party lines, with one Republican — Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky — joining Democrats in opposing him. McConnell, a survivor of childhood polio, said in a statement that Kennedy "failed to prove he is the best possible person" for the post, while citing his record on vaccines.

Kennedy, 71, is a longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist whose family has mythic status in Democratic politics. The nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy launched his own White House bid in 2023. And although he initially sought the Democratic nomination, Kennedy changed his bid to independent, before dropping out to endorse President Trump in August.

Before entering politics, Kennedy worked for two decades as president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit. He also founded Children's Health Defense, which has launched legal challenges against vaccine requirements and approvals, and served as its chairman beginning in 2016. Kennedy is married to actor Cheryl Hines. He has six children.

With his confirmation, Kennedy will be at the helm of the sprawling HHS department, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-to-vote-on-rfk-jr-s-confirmation-for-health-human-services-secretary/

---

Article updated.

Original article -

Updated on: February 13, 2025 / 11:30 AM EST


Washington — The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, following weeks of questions surrounding whether the controversial nominee would win the Senate's approval. Senators voted 52 to 48 to confirm Kennedy. The vote fell largely along party lines, with one Republican — Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky — joining Democrats in opposing him.

Kennedy, 71, is a longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist whose family has mythic status in Democratic politics. The nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy launched his own White House bid in 2023. And although he initially sought the Democratic nomination, Kennedy changed his bid to independent, before dropping out to endorse President Trump in August.

Before entering politics, Kennedy worked for two decades as president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit. He also founded Children's Health Defense, which has launched legal challenges against vaccine requirements and approvals, and served as its chairman beginning in 2016. Kennedy is married to actor Cheryl Hines. He has six children.

With his confirmation, Kennedy will be at the helm of the sprawling HHS department, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration.

[Wicked Blue]

1. I love HuffPost's headline "Quack confirmed" nt

[ck4829]

2. Quite the victory for baby casket makers

[dchill]

29. Time to invest.

[sakabatou]

3. Great. If there's another large outbreak of a disease, we're all going to suffer even more deaths

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Avian flu, covid, and measles are surging in a few areas. Republicons own all of it now. . . nt

[PortTack]

27. And the TB outbreak in KS

[durablend]

30. Will continue to blame Democrats

While they hide in their bunkers counting all their money

[Dem4life1234]

55. Don't these dumbasses want healthy employees?

I just don't get it.

[Bengus81]

48. Could you even imagine if that POS just got confirmed and it's Feb 2020?

[Irish_Dem]

4. 52 US Senators will have blood on their hands.

Killing Americans just to save their cushy senate jobs.

[BoRaGard]

5. I feel sick

[Lovie777]

7. Make America sicker, weaker, and die......................

republican party have left the building.

Vote them out.

[JohnSJ]

8. Excellent. Appoint someone who isn't a scientist or doctor to

lead the health department.

Fuck all the rethugs and those self-identified progressives who refused to vote for VP Harris.

[Dem4life1234]

56. Going further back

The orange menace should have been impeached then removed, this is on McConnell and Roberts.

[JohnSJ]

58. This is on the voters. They did it in 2000, 2016, and topped it off in 2024.

[lapfog_1]

9. try to get as many vaccinations as you can this week

before he declares all vaccines unsafe and/or ineffective.

After that, track everything that EU, south America, Africa, and Asia report.

You will get no accurate medical news from the USA or Russia. Take anything China says with a grain of salt

[Wicked Blue]

11. Canada is a good source of information too

For now.

[durablend]

16. One of the first things he'll probably do

Is remove requirements for health insurers to actually pay for vaccinations.

Which is what they'll do for most of the ACA, make it so that it doesn't cover much of anything.

[RussBLib]

10. with avian flu and ebola on the horizon

...and a current influenza epidemic, this won't be pretty. He's probably going to spend a lot of time on meaningless bullshit, while avoiding the big problems. I hope I'm wrong. But with the CDC and NIH (and USAID) neutered, he won't have many tools to work with. Fucking idiots.

https://russblib.blogspot.com

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. If it walks like a duck...quack, quack.

[kimbutgar]

13. Time to start wearing masks again

I’m wearing one today in protest of this horrendous appointment.

[IzzaNuDay]

28. I'm traveling now and my mask is on....

just got off the plane and saw this headline

[Efilroft Sul]

14. If this were a post on Facebook, Ebola would give it a Like.

Hell, all the MAGA bastards and bitches I left behind on there are probably hitting the Like button and rubbing themselves blind in celebration right now.

[underpants]

17. Stealing your first line.

[surfered]

15. No words....

[turbinetree]

18. Is this fucker going to invite Andrew Wakefield to the swearing in ceremony of bullshit and conspiracies.......

[Backseat Driver]

19. SMH disease, here.....n.t

[IronLionZion]

20. Make easily preventable deaths great again

[Javaman]

21. Counting down to the next pandemic. Starting now. nt

[Wiz Imp]

37. It may be a lot closer than just about anybody thinks.

I, for one, will not be surprised if the bird flu becomes a massive pandemic in humans, especially since we now have no competent oversight at the Federal Government level.

[travelingthrulife]

22. Insanity.

Will we have to eat roadkill?

[dchill]

31. Yes. And whale's head au van.

[Sequoia]

50. And little bear cubs....yum

[crimycarny]

23. I didn't watch any of the confirmation proceedings

I knew every single Trump nominee would be confirmed, no matter how corrupt, incompetent, or outright dangerous to US security.

It is so depressing to realize what a huge farce our government is, zero checks and balances that I thought we had. I never had any idea what a house of cards of government was until Trump came along.

[dchill]

33. I didn't watch any either. My gag reflex is in a feedback loop.

[Oopsie Daisy]

24. Many innocent people will suffer and die. But as a nation, I guess we need to hit rock-bottom *

* in order for people to truly "find out" that a wrong turn was taken. Suffering the consequences is sometimes necessary when people refuse to believe and heed the warnings.

Bring it on... the sooner we get to the bottom, the sooner we can turn this ship around. I feel bad for the most vulnerable among us who will suffer the worst. They don't deserve this.

[Initech]

26. It's going to be really bad. Like India during Omicron bad.

People are going to die in the streets because of his wellness industry and ivermectin shit.

But again, that happening in India wasn't a deal breaker for Modi voters.

[durablend]

32. You're hopeful the sheep will wake up

I don't believe it. They're always going to blame someone else for it.

[Oopsie Daisy]

34. Maybe they'll just die-off then. Dead sheep can't vote.

Silver linings?

[Dem4life1234]

57. MAGAts are usually unhealthy

Perhaps you may be right.

[Initech]

25. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Fuck RFK Jr and his wellness industry bullshit to the hottest circle of hell!

[Wiz Imp]

35. I said it yesterday after Gabbard was confirmed and I'll say it again.

Mitch McConnell has been an absolutely vile Senator and human being for a long time. But I am thankful to him for voting NO on these last 2 horrible and unqualified nominees. No, it doesn't come close to erasing his awful past, but I will still give him credit for doing the right thing these two times (even if it didn't ultimately make a difference).

[3catwoman3]

52. I'm willing to bet that if his vote would have made...

…a difference, he would have caved. Empty gesture, IMO.

[Wiz Imp]

53. I disagree. If that were the case, I think he would have voted NO on more nominees than he has.

He has good reasons for voting no on those he has. His vote may have been different if her were running again, but I think being effectively a lame duck has allowed him to vote his conscience which he has. If only a few others would do the same.

[LauraInLA]

36. So Fetterman votes against?

[Pris]

38. He is finally worried about his seat

I don't trust him

[LauraInLA]

39. Me, either.

[Deminpenn]

40. Yes

He previously announced he'd vote against RFK jr

[LudwigPastorius]

41. Vote for the traitorous orange clown and reap the viral whirlwind.

There's really nothing more to say, but fuck every last Republican and Trump voter in the ear.

[Paladin]

42. Death sentence for this nation. (nt)

[elliesmandt]

43. Spineless

It's a shame that there aren't at least three Republican senators, who still feel some obligation to protect their constituents and the constitution from the robber barons and megalomaniacs.

[Bayard]

44. I'm sure this is what he was promised if he dropped out of the presidential race

We are doomed. Time to re-read, "The Stand," again.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

45. Trump's kakistocracy rolls on.

[sabbat hunter]

46. Of all the republicans

only #moscowMitch voted no. Bunch of fucking cowards in the Senate on the GOP side of the aisle.

[Bengus81]

47. Like Republicans always said before the ACA...just don't get sick

Same shit....different day

[malthaussen]

49. This is all very amusing, in a twisted way.

The GOP, it seems, is doing its best to prove that the Federal government doesn't matter by appointing the most ridiculous nominees to Cabinet positions they can find. And they appear to be in lockstep on it, Mitch McConnell's performance art notwithstanding. If they can prove it doesn't matter who runs the government because the government doesn't matter, they have their justification for annihilating the Executive branch and bureaucracy. Of course, when it turns out it actually does matter that the Federal government operate with at least a modicum of efficiency, they will be left with egg on their collective face (not that they care). Meanwhile, of course, many will die, and a disproportionate number of them will be GOP supporters.

-- Mal

[bif]

51. We are now officially a shithole country

And a worldwide joke!

[Dem4life1234]

54. It's always the slimmest votes

That is what is gut wrenching. I knew those coward Rethugs would pass him. They are a pox to the country.

He knows not a damn thing about health.

Ultimate DEI position.