Senate vote confirms Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as US health secretary

The United States Senate voted to install Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a prominent anti-vaccine proponent – as Donald Trump’s health secretary on Thursday.

Kennedy’s new position grants him control over vaccine recommendations, food safety and health insurance programs for almost half the country, as well as $1.7 trillion in federal spending.

Nearly all Republicans voted in support of Kennedy’s ascension to the role, with the exception of Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell who had polio as a child.

“In my lifetime I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” McConnell said in a statement.

“I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”

All 45 Democratic senators and both Independents voted against, making the final count a tight 52-48.

Kennedy was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorusch at the Oval Office mere hours after confirmation. He was joined by his wife and several members of Congress.

While his populist and sometimes extreme opinions on food, vaccines and chemicals have sparked outrage across the country, President Trump announced that Kennedy will be leading a new commission on “making America healthy again.”

Questions remain over what happens next for Medicare, vaccines and medical research.

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