Robert F Kennedy cleared the first hurdle needed to be confirmed as US health secretary when his nomination was approved by a Senate committee Tuesday.
The vote split along party lines, 14-13, with all Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee voting in favour of the vaccine sceptic who threw his support behind Donald Trump after ending a presidential bid of his own and whose health expertise has been questioned.
Kennedy’s nomination will now move to a vote of the full US Senate, which Republicans control 53-47.
Senators questioned Kennedy about his views on vaccines and other health issues and tested his knowledge about US public health infrastructure.
During the hearings he insisted that he was not opposed to vaccines, nor a conspiracy theorist, but that he supports more stringent safety tests.
But senators zeroed in on his past comments, including a podcast appearance where he said: “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who organises and works with Democrats, praised Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” slogan. But the senator then later showed pictures of baby clothes printed with anti-vaccine messages sold by Children’s Health Defence, an organisation that the nominee headed until recently.
Kennedy responded that he no longer has oversight of the group.
Although Kennedy’s testimony last week did not win over any Democrats to his side, he did manage to win the crucial support of Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy.
Cassidy, a doctor, had expressed scepticism about Trump’s nominee, but announced that he would support him during after being given “serious commitments” by Kennedy and the White House. This clears the way for a full Senate vote.
Kennedy is the son of Robert F Kennedy and the nephew of President John F Kennedy.
He made his name as an environmental lawyer, but in recent years turned to criticism of US health care, including food safety and anti-vaccine advocacy.
He initially floated a run for president as a Democrat, but then mounted an independent bid before dropping out and endorsing Trump.
As secretary, Kennedy would be in charge of huge agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Kennedy has suggested that he will fire many of the people who work for these federal agencies, and Trump has said he would give his nominee broad leeway to reform the US food and healthcare systems.
During his confirmation hearings, RFK Jr indicated he would not seek to ban vaccinations, or unhealthy fast food, but would look at the use of food additives which he says are much more prevalent in the US than in European countries.
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