U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., opposed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday morning.
“I, after this hearing, did not have confidence that Mr. Kennedy would be the one to lead us to a better future,” Welch said during the committee hearing.
Despite their opposition, Kennedy cleared the Senate Finance Committee and now faces a full Senate vote on his confirmation. Republicans all voted in favor of his nomination, while Democrats voted together to oppose it, 14-13.
Sanders, in a written statement, said there are several issues on which he agrees with Kennedy, such as tackling the ultra-processed food industry, the high price of prescription drugs and the massive spending by large pharmaceutical companies on advertising.
However, Sanders said he cannot in good conscience vote for Kennedy to lead the federal agency out of concern he would dilute public health protections in the role.
“We should listen to nearly 20,000 doctors who have told us that Mr. Kennedy has ‘a well-documented history of spreading dangerous disinformation on vaccines and public health interventions, leaving vulnerable communities unprotected and placing millions of lives at risk. His appointment is a direct threat to the safety of our patients and the public at large,’” Sanders wrote.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician who had been uncertain about Kennedy’s nomination due to his stance on the debunked theory linking vaccines to autism, ultimately cast the deciding vote.
Kennedy now must secure backing from all but three Republicans to take charge of the $1.7 trillion Department of Health and Human Services, assuming unanimous Democratic opposition.
