Senators confirmed environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary after the controversial nominee successfully eased lawmakers’ concerns over previous views on abortion and vaccines.
The upper chamber voted 52 to 48 for confirmation of the new HHS secretary, who previously battled a 14-year heroin addiction and is now the highest-ranking Kennedy in the federal government since his father was attorney general.
Despite the sparring on Capitol Hill from Democrats and some Republicans who claimed Kennedy would do otherwise, Kennedy sailed to confirmation with just one GOP defection — former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Kennedy triumphed after two separate hours-long Senate hearings last month before the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Democrats grilled the incoming HHS secretary on his prior criticism of…
