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Senate confirms Robert F Kennedy Jr. to serve as Trump’s Health secretary

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted nearly entirely along party lines to confirm Kennedy. The final showdown over his controversial nomination was set in motion hours earlier, after another party line vote on Wednesday afternoon which started the clock ticking toward the confirmation roll call.

Kennedy, the well-known vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump, needed a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate.

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against Kennedy’s nomination. McConnell, the former longtime GOP Senate leader, suffered from polio as a child and is a major proponent of vaccines.

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings late last month, when 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.

During the hearings, Democrats also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. LIVE ON FOX NEWS ‘THE INGRAHAM ANGLE’ 7PM ET TONIGHT

With Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee voting not to advance Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement before the committee level vote, giving Kennedy a party-line 14-13 victory to advance his confirmation to the full Senate.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., center, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, talks with Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, following his testimony during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Cassidy had emphasized during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings that “your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” which left doubt about his support.

However, after speaking again with the nominee, Cassidy rattled off a long list of commitments Kennedy made to him, including quarterly hearings before the HELP Committee; meetings multiple times per month; that HELP Committee can choose representatives on boards or commissions reviewing vaccine safety; and a 30-day notice to the committee, plus a hearing, for any changes in vaccine safety reviews.

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“These commitments, and my expectation that we can have a great working relationship to make America healthy again, is the basis of my support,” the senator said.

RFK Jr. and Trump split image (Getty Images)

Earlier this week, another Republican senator who had reservations regarding Kennedy’s confirmation announced support for the nominee.

“After extensive public and private questioning and a thorough examination of his nomination, I will support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced on Tuesday.

Another Republican who was on the fence, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

Murkowski noted that she continues “to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies,” but that the nominee “has made numerous commitments to me and my colleagues, promising to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and to base vaccine recommendations on data-driven, evidence-based, and medically sound research.”

Former longtime Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, a major proponent of vaccines, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.

The push is part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.

“Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,” Kennedy said as he pointed to chronic diseases. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a campaign event for this independent presidential bid, on May 1, 2024 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The 71-year-old scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination against then-President Joe Biden in April 2023. However, six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.

Trump regularly pilloried Kennedy during his independent presidential bid, accusing him of being a “Radical Left Liberal” and a “Democrat Plant.”

Kennedy fired back, claiming in a social media post that Trump’s jabs against him were “a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims.”

Then-former President Donald Trump, right, welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a campaign rally at the Gas South Arena on Oct. 23, 2024 in Duluth, Georgia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump.

While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

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After months of criticizing him, Trump called Kennedy “a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share.”

Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.

The final vote on Kennedy’s nomination came one day after another controversial pick, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025
Nonprofit calling on Trump HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform ‘failed’ National Human Trafficking Hotline

A group of anti-human trafficking advocates called “Safe House Project” is urging the Trump administration and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

The hotline, which is run by HHS, was started in 2007 to provide 24/7 help for victims of human trafficking.

According to Safe House Project, which offers victims a range of services, including a network of shelters, the hotline has “lost all credibility” and simply does not accomplish the goal of ending human trafficking.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIM RECOUNTS HORRORS OF LIFE AT THE MERCY OF CRIMINALS

Community members listen to Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price before a march to raise awareness of human trafficking in Oakland, California, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times )

After Kennedy cleared a committee vote on Tuesday, bringing him one step closer to confirmation, the nonprofit released a statement celebrating the step, saying that “our nation is in dire need of leadership that will restore it [the hotline] to fulfill its purpose of identifying victims of trafficking, supporting victims escaping from their traffickers, and helping bring swift justice to those who abuse and victimize desperate and vulnerable populations.”

In line with the Department of Government Efficiency’s mission to slash government waste, Safe House Project says HHS can reform the hotline to conserve its tax-dollar funding and save more lives at the same time.

“The American taxpayers funded the National Human trafficking hotline, and the reality is it has failed,” Safe House Project CEO Kristi Wells told Fox News Digital.

Wells claimed that people who call the hotline often have to wait upwards of 45 minutes, resulting in many people hanging up before even reporting a human trafficking incident. She also said that in many instances, hotline staff fail to return calls or to share tips with law enforcement.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum” at Fox News Channel Studios on Sept. 25, 2024, in New York City. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

If he is confirmed by the Senate, Wells said Kennedy will have a “phenomenal opportunity” to save thousands of lives by moving quickly to increase the efficiency of the hotline.

“The National Human Trafficking Hotline, again, has the potential to save thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lives,” she continued. “And so, [since] the Department of Health and Human Services is the one that oversees the effectiveness of the hotline, it’s really important that the current administration prioritizes and really holds the current hotline accountable and making sure that the services are operating the way that they need to be operating.”

In place of the current hotline, Wells is urging HHS to leverage modern technology – such as cellphone apps and AI – to create a new system that is “fast, actionable and easy to use.”

After conducting extensive research with law enforcement entities and related NGOs, Wells said she believes a new system could be created using modern technology that would make the tax dollars being spent by the government on this go much further and accomplish more.

BIDEN BORDER CRISIS LEADING TO INCREASE IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FORMER DHS OFFICIALS WARN

Trump is pictured in front of the US Capitol Building, surrounded by fencing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Trump-Vance Transition Team)

“When you’re leveraging technology, you are really creating efficiencies of scale and really increasing scale,” she said. “And so, I don’t believe that this is a solution that would cost the government more money. I think it would allow them to use the dollars that are currently being spent on a national hotline more effectively and see more effective results.”

Wells said the Trump administration “has already shown an encouraging willingness to tackle human trafficking,” but noted, “We want to do our part to make sure that this is a top priority for them and make sure that correct actions are taken to bring victims out of the shadows, to increase reporting and to increase law enforcement and prosecution of traffickers and buyers.”

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“Human trafficking is happening all around us and we as community members have the opportunity to identify and respond to human trafficking and a new tool is really vital to us making sure that that happens,” she continued. “Whenever we have proper reporting mechanisms and we are ‘seeing something and saying something,’ then this idea that human trafficking is undercover and goes undetected is no longer the reality.”

“The reality is we’ll be able to see it more and when we start seeing it more, we’re able to empower our lawmakers with more effective data to create more effective policies. And so, I am excited about the trajectory that a more robust reporting mechanism can bring to the objective of eradicating trafficking in America.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 10, 2025
Trump fires Kennedy Center board members, becomes self-appointed chairman

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President Donald Trump announced on Friday he decided to immediately fire multiple Kennedy Center board members, including the chairman, and fill that role himself.

Trump claimed he and current chair David Rubenstein “do not share [the same] Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” according to the announcement on Truth Social.

He said a new board would be announced soon, adding the new chairman, naming himself, is “amazing.”

The Kennedy Center website features information about a drag event hosted in October 2024. (The Kennedy Center)

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“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” Trump wrote in the post.

The Kennedy Center in October hosted a Dancing Queens Drag Brunch at its Roof Terrace Restaurant in October, featuring Washington, D.C.’s “most fabulous drag performers,” according to its website.

The Kennedy Center website features information about a drag event hosted in October 2024. (The Kennedy Center)

The October event featured 2024 Capital Pride Honoree, Tula, and other drag performers “representing the diversity of D.C.’s queer community,” according to the site.

Tickets were sold for nearly $100 each, with reservations required, and included bottomless mimosas.

President Joe Biden speaks at the The Kennedy Center Honorees reception at The White House on Dec. 3 in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

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Following Trump’s announcement, the Kennedy Center’s website limited users, citing “high traffic.”

Hundreds of visitors had to queue in an online waiting room to view the site.

In addition to George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, Tania León, and U2 members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. were honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. (Kevin Wolf/AP Photo)

In his post, Trump called the center “an American jewel,” and said it must reflect the nation’s “brightest stars” on its stage.

“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” the President wrote. “For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”

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It is unclear which Board of Trustees members have been canned, as of Friday night.

February 8, 2025
Top Republican on Senate health committee says ‘yes’ vote for Kennedy not a lock

The top Republican on the Senate’s chief health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., indicated Thursday during Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s second confirmation hearing of the week that his vote for Trump’s nominee to head Health and Human Services was not a lock, noting that he was “struggling” to confirm Kennedy over his inability to admit vaccines are safe and don’t cause autism.

Kennedy faced two separate hearings in front of Senate lawmakers this week in his bid to be the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy was probed frequently over his views on vaccines, which have been a sticking point for many senators as they figure out whether to vote in favor of Kennedy’s nomination, or not.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, appears before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

During the hearings, Kennedy refused to reject claims he has posited publicly in the past that vaccines cause autism and argued he is not anti-vaccine but rather “pro-safety.” Kennedy added during the hearings that his plan as HHS Secretary would be to “follow the science,” noting that if the science says he is wrong on vaccines, he will publicly apologize.

But senators, like Cassidy, have suggested during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings that the science says vaccines are safe – and they don’t cause autism.

“My responsibility is to learn, try and determine, if you can be trusted to support the best public health,” Cassidy, a former physician, said during his closing remarks at Kennedy’s Thursday confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). “A worthy movement called ‘MAHA,’” Cassidy continued, “to improve the health of Americans, or to undermine it, always asking for more evidence, and never accepting the evidence that is there … That is why I’ve been struggling with your nomination.”

DOCTOR DEFENDS RFK JR’S VACCINE STANCE: ‘HE’S NOT AGAINST VACCINES’

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., questions Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, as he appears before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

Cassidy repeatedly asked Kennedy during the Thursday hearing to publicly declare that vaccines don’t cause autism, but Kennedy refused. “That would have an incredible impact,” Cassidy said.

“There are issues we are, man, ultra-processed food, obesity, we are simpatico. We are completely aligned,” Cassidy continued during his closing remarks. “And as someone who has discussed immunizations with thousands of people, I understand that mothers want reassurance that the vaccine their child is receiving is necessary, safe and effective. We agree on that point, the two of us, but we’ve approached it differently. And I think I can say that I’ve approached it using the preponderance of evidence to reassure, and you’ve approached it using selective evidence to cast doubt.”

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Meanwhile, Cassidy pointed out the massive “megaphone” Kennedy has as a descendant of former President John F. Kennedy, and questioned whether he will use his credibility “to support” or “to undermine” the nation’s public health and its confidence in vaccines.

“I got to figure that out, for my vote.”

January 30, 2025
Caroline Kennedy says RFK Jr cheated his way through life, urges senators not to confirm

Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of President John F. Kennedy and a former U.S. ambassador, sent a letter to lawmakers urging them not to confirm her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who she referred to as a “predator” and said was “unqualified” both professionally and personally to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

RFK Jr. is set to sit before two Senate committees on Wednesday and Thursday this week, during which lawmakers will get a chance to probe him about various issues related to his nomination as Health and Human Services Secretary. In advance of those hearings, Caroline sent a letter to senators who will vote on her cousin’s confirmation, explaining why she thinks he should not be allowed to run the federal government’s chief public health agency.

“Throughout the past year people have asked for my thoughts about my cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr and his presidential campaign. I did not comment, not only because I was serving in a government position as United States Ambassador to Australia, but because I have never wanted to speak publicly about my family members and their challenges,” Caroline said in a video posted online of her reading the letter. “But now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak.”

TRUMP’S MOST VULNERABLE NOMINEES RFK JR, TULSI GABBARD GET BACK-TO-BACK HEARINGS

Caroline Kennedy speaks at the 2009 Women’s Conference held at Long Beach Convention Center on October 27, 2009, in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images)

In addition to arguing her cousin lacked the relevant government, financial management and medical experience to fill the role of HHS Secretary, Caroline said her cousin’s personal qualities were also a disqualifying factor. In the letter, Caroline called her cousin a “predator,” arguing he has sought to exploit his family’s tragedies for publicity and led his siblings and cousins down a path of addiction.

“It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because Bobby himself is a predator,” she said. “I watched his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction. His basement, his garage, his dorm room were always the center of the action – where drugs were available and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks.”

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Caroline did concede that such moments were “a long time ago,” and that she admired her cousin for finding his way out of his addiction. “I admire the discipline that took,” she said. “But siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness and death, while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., partner with Morgan & Morgan PA, is sworn-in during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 20, 2023. The committee chairman announced the hearing to examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans and big tech silencing speech. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty)

Caroline added in the letter that her cousin was “addicted to attention and power,” and also accused him of grandstanding “off my father’s assassination and that of his own father.”

“It’s incomprehensible to me that someone who is willing to exploit their own painful family tragedies for publicity would be put in charge of America’s life and death situations.”

She also took shots at her cousin’s views on vaccines in the letter, calling them “dangerous and willfully misinformed.” In the past, Kennedy has posited theories that vaccines cause autism, argued they are not safe for young children, and blamed them for a rise in chronic disease across the United States.

DOCTOR DEFENDS RFK JR.’S VACCINE STANCE: ‘HE’S NOT AGAINST VACCINES

“Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs,” she said. “Overseeing the FDA, the NIH, the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us is an enormous responsibility and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill.”

A woman holds a mock-up vial labeled “Monkeypox vaccine” and medical syringe in this illustration taken, May 25, 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

RFK Jr.’s confirmation remains uncertain as both Republicans and Democrats have taken issue with his stance on vaccines and other public health issues. Lawmakers from more rural states have also raised concern over the potential that RFK Jr. could severely disrupt the agriculture sector as a result of his staunch views on healthy eating.

He will face questions from both the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions this week. However, only the Finance committee will ultimately vote on whether to advance RFK Jr.’s nomination to a full floor vote.

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January 29, 2025
SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center, will release more Starlink satellites

EntrepreneurShares LLC COO Eva Ados explains why President Trump and Elon Musk could achieve their Mars goal on ‘Making Money.’

SpaceX is preparing to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday with Starlink internet-beaming satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The four-hour launch window opens at 2:21 p.m. ET, according to the Kennedy Space Center.

The launch site in Brevard County, which is about an hour east of Orlando theme parks, allows people from near and far to see, as long as cloud cover, weather and visibility cooperate.

“SpaceX’s Starlink is the constellation of networked satellites aimed to provide internet services to those who are not yet connected, and to provide reliable and affordable internet across the globe,” Kennedy Space Center says on the launch details website.

SPACEX’S STARSHIP GROUNDS AFTER TEST FLIGHT EXPLOSION

SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer, successfully launches a Falcon 9 rocket with multiple Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 24, 2025, in Lompoc, California. (George Rose / Getty Images)

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the other side of the country on Friday, when 23 Starlink satellites were delivered “to the constellation” after launching from California, SpaceX said on X.

Falcon 9 is dubbed the “world’s first orbital class reusable rocket,” SpaceX says. It has completed 426 missions, 382 total landings and 355 total reflights, according to the aerospace company’s website.

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 6, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Just 10 days ago, a SpaceX Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris and setting back Elon Musk’s flagship rocket program.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is seen in August 2024. (Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto / Getty Images)

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SpaceX mission control lost contact with the newly upgraded Starship, carrying its first test payload of mock satellites but no crew, eight minutes after liftoff from its South Texas rocket facilities at 5:38 p.m. ET.

Reuters contributed to this report.

January 26, 2025