Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will advance to the next step in his effort to become President Donald J. Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary. The vaccine skeptic and environmental lawyer who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing President Trump sustained his bid for a cabinet position in the 47th president’s administration. The 27-member panel of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats on the Senate finance committee approved Kennedy’s advancement by a party line vote of 14-13. While no Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee were expected to vote to confirm Kennedy, the spotlight was on Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee. Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement indicating a party line vote for Kennedy. Kennedy survived back-to-back Senate confirmation hearings last week, where Trump’s nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.
At 2 P.M., the Senate Intelligence Committee will vote on Tulsi Gabbard’s selection to become director of national intelligence. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced Monday that she will support Gabbard giving her a key boost in her confirmation push. Collins was considered a crucial swing vote in her effort to move toward a floor vote. Last month, Collins had expressed reservations about Gabbard. Also this morning, Senator Todd Young (R-Indiana) announced that he will support Gabbard’s nomination to become director of national intelligence, paving the way for her to reach a floor vote and increasing her chances of winning full confirmation. Young had been considered a crucial Intelligence Committee GOP swing vote on Gabbard’s nomination.
The Senate will also vote later on Tuesday on the nomination of Pam Bondi to serve as Attorney General, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said in a floor speech on Tuesday. Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who also worked on Trump’s team to challenge the 2020 election results, has faced tough questions from Democrats throughout the confirmation process but hasn’t seen any GOP defections. She advanced out of the Judiciary Committee last week on a party-line, 12-10 vote and is expected to be confirmed.
The House will reconvene for votes at 6:30 P.M. and will take up six bills under suspension of the Rules from the Natural Resources Committee.
