RFK Jr. won the backing of a Senate committee to be President Trump’s health secretary with party-line support from Republicans while Tulsi Gabbard faces a similar test later Tuesday.
The controversial vaccine skeptic won a 14-13 vote in the committee, including the backing of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), a medical doctor who sharply questioned the nominee’s views on immunizations and was considered a possible no vote.
Kennedy’s nomination now heads to the full Senate, where he has decent odds of winning confirmation despite deep concerns from Democrats about the years of work he’s done sowing unfounded doubts about vaccines.
He would need the support of all but three Republicans if Democrats vote in lockstep to oppose him as expected.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are all seen as potential no votes.
In a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday, McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, declined to say how he would vote on RFK Jr. but reiterated “vaccines are critically important.”
Meanwhile, Gabbard picked up the endorsement of Collins ahead of a vote in the intelligence committee to become director of national intelligence.
The controversial former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii angered some Republicans at her committee hearing by refusing to disavow her past support of Edward Snowden. She has also raised hackles with her pro-Russia views and her cozy ties to ousted Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad.
Still, most Senate vote-counters believe almost all GOP lawmakers will shelve their concerns about Gabbard to avoid crossing Trump.
