Senate committee advances RFK Jr.'s NOMINATION!

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared a key hurdle Tuesday after a Senate panel voted to advance his nomination to be health and human services secretary to the full chamber.

In a 14-13 vote along party lines, the Senate Finance Committee pushed through Kennedy’s nomination after he managed to allay concerns raised by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

Cassidy, a doctor, was the one potential swing vote on the panel. Last week, he signaled that he held serious reservations over whether Kennedy was qualified to lead the vast agency, saying he was “struggling” with his decision after questioning him at two confirmation hearings. In addition to the Finance Committee, Cassidy serves as chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

In a statement posted on X before Tuesday's vote, Cassidy said he had "very intense conversations" with Kennedy and the White House over the weekend, specifically thanking Vice President JD Vance "for his honest counsel."

"With the serious commitments I’ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes," Cassidy said.

Cassidy had said he needed to hear an unequivocal statement from Kennedy that vaccines do not cause autism and indicate he would listen to well-established science on the matter. It was unclear whether Kennedy had made that assertion.

A scion of the storied Democratic family, Kennedy ran for president in 2024, first as a Democrat and then as an independent, before dropping out to endorse Trump. While hitting the trail for Trump, Kennedy branded a "Make America Healthy Again" campaign, in which he railed against food manufacturers and unhealthy ingredients in the nation’s diet.