Robert Kennedy Jr. has been confirmed as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The controversial environmental lawyer, who has a reputation for questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccines and has argued they cause autism, received near-unanimous support from Republican senators.
Kennedy, a former independent presidential candidate, was confirmed as HHS secretary in a 52 to 48 vote down party lines. Former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was the sole Republican who voted against Kennedy’s confirmation.
“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” said McConnell in a statement after the Senate vote. “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.”…
