Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccine Skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed As Next HHS Secretary
The New York Times: Senate Confirms Kennedy, A Prominent Vaccine Skeptic, As Health Secretary.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the vaccine skeptic and former presidential candidate who fled his family’s party and threw his “medical freedom” movement behind President Trump, has been confirmed by the Senate as the nation’s next health secretary. The vote 52-48, capped a remarkable rise for Mr. Kennedy and a curious twist in American politics. He was confirmed by a Republican Senate, without a single Democratic vote, in a chamber where his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncles, John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, all held office as Democrats.
Politico: Why The Health Care Industry Is Letting RFK Jr. Cruise To Confirmation
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s expected Senate confirmation on Thursday to lead the nation’s health agencies threatens upheaval for America’s $4 trillion health care industry. The industry is doing little and hoping for the best. From drugmakers to doctors’ organizations, groups thought to have the clout to steer policy and funding in Washington because they enjoyed bipartisan support and huge lobbying budgets have remained silent about Kennedy. They haven’t spoken up even though he has accused them of fraud and conspiracy, and promised to hold them accountable. (Payne, 2/12)
Politico: RFK Jr. Taps Former Border Patrol Agent As Senior Adviser
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tapped a retired border patrol chief to be one of his senior advisers, in a sign of the outsized role that the government’s health department could once again play in managing the fallout of President Donald Trump’s deportation policies. Chris Clem, a longtime U.S. Border Patrol agent who supported Kennedy’s 2024 run for president, joined the Health and Human Services Department in recent weeks, two people familiar with the appointment said and an HHS spokesperson confirmed. (Cancryn, 2/12)
The New York Times: Behind R.F.K. Jr.’s Vow To ‘Follow The Science’ On Vaccines
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent the first day of his back-to-back confirmation hearings deftly avoiding questions about his views on vaccines. On the second day, when a prominent Republican senator insisted there was no link between vaccines and autism, Mr. Kennedy shot back that a new study “showed the opposite.” “I just want to follow the science,” Mr. Kennedy declared. (Gay Stolberg and Jewett, 2/12)
