RFK Jr.’s HHS Confirmation Probable After Gaining Cassidy’s Support
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, said he was swayed after nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. agreed to significant vaccine concessions, Stat and The Hill reported. Also in the news, Pfizer's CEO says he met with Kennedy and is "cautiously optimistic."
Stat:
RFK Jr. Likely To Be HHS Secretary After Winning Cassidy's Support
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to win confirmation to head the Department of Health and Human Services after his nomination cleared the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday and a key Republican senator assented to his confirmation. (Wilkerson, Cueto, Zhang and Lawrence, 2/4)
The Hill:
Cassidy Says He Secured Key Vaccine Commitments From RFK Jr.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he secured significant concessions from the Trump administration on vaccine safety that led to his vote Tuesday morning to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Cassidy voted with all other Finance Committee Republicans on Tuesday to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the floor. (Weixel, 2/4)
Fortune Well:
Pfizer CEO Had Dinner With RFK Jr.: ‘I’m Cautiously Optimistic’ In Spite Of His History With Vaccines
In an earnings call Tuesday, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla remained focused on the positive. He noted that he had dinner with RFK Jr. and said, “I focus more not on the things that we clearly disagree, like the vaccines, but on the things that we can agree and we can do things together… I’m cautiously optimistic.” (Steiner, 2/4)
The Hill:
Donald Trump Says 'Something Really Wrong' With Autism Rates Ahead RFK Jr. Vote
President Trump shared figures inflating the spike in autism in a post Tuesday morning promoting his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, highlighting a key data point in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s debunked theories around a link between autism and vaccines. “20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!! Thank You! DJT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. ... About 1 in 36 children now have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compared to about 1 in 150 in 2000. (Gangitano, 2/4)
KFF Health News:
Trump’s Already Gone Back On His Promise To Leave Abortion To States
Abortion foes worried before his election that President Donald Trump had moved on, now that Roe v. Wade is overturned and abortion policy, as he said on the campaign trail, “has been returned to the states.” Their concerns mounted after Trump named Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime supporter of abortion rights, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services — and then as he signed a slew of Day 1 executive orders that said nothing about abortion. (Rovner, 2/5)
