All eyes are on Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who last week expressed serious misgivings about Kennedy’s qualifications to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, namely over his insistence on promoting a false and debunked claim linking vaccines to autism.
“Man, if you come out unequivocally, ‘Vaccines are safe, it does not cause autism,’ that would have an incredible impact,” Cassidy said during a hearing last week.
But Kennedy, who has renounced his previous views on abortion to align with President Trump, refused to make such a statement.
Cassidy has been facing a pressure campaign from Kennedy allies and Republicans at home about his vote. Kennedy needs a majority vote to advance, and Republicans only have a single seat advantage in the committee. If Cassidy votes “no” along with every Democrat, the vote will fail.
According to Fox News, Kennedy and Cassidy spoke Sunday after the lawmaker said during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing last week the two might need to talk over the weekend.
Democrats appear united in opposing Kennedy. Even some Democrats on the committee who were perceived as being on the fence, like Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), seem likely to vote against him based on questions and statements they made during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing.
Ahead of the vote, Finance Committee Democrats were also pushing for a delay and for more concrete pledges from Kennedy about stopping his involvement in suing vaccine makers.
Democrats have been raising concerns about Kennedy’s intention to keep a financial interest from major lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers. In his initial ethics statement, Kennedy said he would keep 10 percent of the fees awarded in cases that he referred to Wisner Baum, a personal injury firm.
Kennedy last week told senators he was updating the agreement, but Democrats said the changes raised even more questions about his financial conflict of interest related to suing vaccine makers.
“These conflicts, combined with your decades-long career casting doubt about the safety and efficacy of life-saving vaccines, give us grave concern about your fitness to serve as Secretary,” Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote.
