Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in Thursday as President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary after a razor-thin 52-48 Senate vote, positioning the controversial vaccine skeptic at the helm of a $1.7 trillion agency overseeing vaccines, food safety, and healthcare programs for nearly half the U.S. population.
Despite GOP concerns over Kennedy’s long history of anti-vaccine rhetoric, Republicans rallied behind Trump, with the exception of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)—a polio survivor—who opposed the confirmation, refusing to “re-litigate proven cures.”
Kennedy, 71, embraced his new role with a Trump-endorsed mission to “make America healthy again”, shifting public health focus to chronic diseases like obesity while pledging not to alter existing vaccine recommendations. His appointment comes amid a massive shakeup of federal health agencies, with Elon Musk’s government overhaul freezing billions in public health funding and leaving thousands of federal workers in limbo.
The NIH has already announced caps on research grants for universities and disease treatment programs, aligning with Kennedy’s long-standing calls for a staffing purge at the FDA, CDC, and NIH—including his past vow to fire 600 NIH employees.
