Senate Confirms Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary

On Feb. 13, the Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary.

Why it matters to healthcare professionals: HHS Secretary oversees the CDC, FDA, NIH, and CMS. Kennedy has a record of being against vaccines.

An article from CNN stated, “The 52-48 vote was largely along party lines, though Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky once again joined with Democrats to oppose the nomination. McConnell has now voted against three of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, more than any other Republican senator.”

An article from NBC News added, “McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, said Kennedy had a ‘record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions.’”

We reported earlier this month that the Trump White House’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become Secretary of Health and Human Services on Feb. 4 cleared a key hurdle, passing out of the Senate Finance Committee on a party-line vote, with all 14 Republicans voting to support Kennedy’s nomination and all 13 Democrats opposing it.

Kennedy’s past activism against vaccines and theories of their link to autism have troubled Democrats.

As HHS secretary, Kennedy will oversee CDC, Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Industry comments

Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP, president, Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) made the following statement on IDSA’s website:

“The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for protecting and advancing the health and well-being of all Americans. Experts in infectious diseases can offer objective insight to Secretary Kennedy and his staff as the nation faces evolving future threats to the health of its citizens. By providing scientific, evidence-based recommendations to assess and combat all infectious diseases—which have no borders—including explaining their link to preventing and managing chronic health concerns, IDSA and its members can be trusted partners.

“Secretary Kennedy’s confirmation is an important opportunity to reaffirm the longstanding, overwhelming and settled science regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines, which remain our best defense against many serious infectious diseases. We look forward to working with lawmakers to hold Secretary Kennedy to his promise to maintain our nation’s vaccine approval and safety framework, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the Vaccines for Children program and other public health vaccine programs.”

Carol McLay, DrPH, MPH, RN, CIC FAPIC, FSHEA, APIC 2025 president, made a statement that was sent to Healthcare Purchasing News. Here are a few highlights from the statement:

“On behalf of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), please accept our congratulations on your appointment. As you begin your work to promote and protect the health of the American people, we want to introduce ourselves and offer our assistance to you in advancing infection prevention and control priorities - an area that impacts every patient, every healthcare worker, and every healthcare facility across the country.

“Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain one of the most persistent and preventable threats to patient safety. On any given day in the U.S., one in 31 patients will contract an HAI, leading to approximately 687,000 infections and 72,000 deaths annually. These infections - caused by drug-resistant bacteria, surgical complications, bloodstream infections, and device-associated pathogens - not only place patients at serious risk of harm but also burden the healthcare system with an estimated $28 billion annually in direct medical costs and an additional $12 billion in lost productivity and indirect expenses, all of which are largely preventable. (APIC) and our 15,000 infection preventionist (IP) members are dedicated to protecting patients, visitors, and healthcare workers from HAIs, enhancing preparedness for emerging infectious disease threats, and driving cost-saving measures for hospitals, nursing homes, and ambulatory centers nationwide.”

Additionally, APIC says it “would welcome the opportunity” to work with Kennedy to prioritize:

• Supporting the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
• Supporting a robust infection prevention workforce
• Supporting funding for the BIO Preparedness Workforce Pilot Program
• Expand IPC [infection prevention and control] reporting and staffing in nursing homes
• Improving medical device cleaning instructions to protect patients while reducing administrative burden, including  supporting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reforms that require IFUs to be evidence-based, easily understood and practical for implementation
• Strengthening U.S. preparedness through global health collaboration

Margaret A. Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), made the following statement regarding the recent confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services:

“We congratulate Secretary Kennedy on his confirmation, and look forward to working with him in the coming months and years.

“Opportunities abound to bring improvements to our nation’s system for health coverage and care—many of which will require outside-the-box thinking. We look forward to working with Secretary Kennedy and his team to tackle the pressing issues of access to coverage and care, disease prevention, and public health improvement.

“We look forward to the dialogue to come with HHS in our efforts to find common ground to improve the health and well-being of all of our fellow Americans.”