Cassidy doesn’t seem completely on board with RFK Jr

Health Care

The Big Story

Cassidy doesn’t seem completely on board with RFK Jr

Senate Health Committee chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) doesn’t seem completely on board with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

After meeting with Kennedy on Wednesday, Cassidy wrote on social media that he and Kennedy had a “frank conversation” and spoke about vaccines “at length.”

Cassidy, a physician, said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” that he thinks Kennedy is “wrong” about vaccines, but noted there are areas he and Kennedy agree on, like eliminating ultra-processed foods.

Kennedy’s long history of vaccine skepticism has troubled Republicans and Democrats, though the roughly two dozen Republicans who met with Kennedy in December seemed less bothered.

Cassidy did not rule out supporting Kennedy, but his less-than enthusiastic comments were a stark contrast to other conservatives who have met with Trump’s pick.

Kennedy is making his second round of meetings with senators this week as he seeks to convince them to support his nomination.

The easiest path for Kennedy’s confirmation runs through Senate Republicans, who hold a 53 to 49 seat majority. That means that if all Democrats oppose him, Kennedy can lose three Republican votes.

But Kennedy could pick up one or two Democratic votes, which would offset potential Republican defections. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in particular has expressed a willingness to vote for some of Trump’s nominees, though he has not mentioned Kennedy.

Kennedy is a former Democrat whose views on issues like ultra-processed foods and the corporatization of the food and prescription drug industries could resonate with some Senate Democrats. Though his longstanding anti-vaccine advocacy might be hard to overcome.

Lawmakers are notoriously tight-lipped about their votes ahead of many Cabinet fights. And the optics of backing any nominee by Trump puts most Democrats in a tricky position.

Kennedy met with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday but told reporters after that he “couldn’t say” if he had won Sanders’s support.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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