Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s controversial pick to head the federal Department of Health and Human Services, will appear Wednesday before a Senate panel that is crucial to advance his nomination.
Kennedy is due to appear first at the Senate Committee on Finance, the panel that will ultimately be the committee with the deciding vote on whether his nomination to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services advances to the full Senate. He must receive a majority of senators to be confirmed to head HHS, which encompasses America’s federal health agencies.
The committee’s jurisdiction largely focuses on the department’s mammoth Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs for seniors and low-income Americans, which make up the largest share of mandatory spending in the federal budget.
He will head next to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP, which is scheduled to question Kennedy on Thursday.
That committee’s focus includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, all agencies that would fall under Kennedy’s authority if he is confirmed to lead the department.
Trump’s picks to head all of those agencies will also need to face their own Senate confirmation hearings. While some have voiced different opinions from him in the past, Kennedy could have broad authority to override them as secretary.
What is RFK Jr.’s
RFK Jr. to face Senate confirmation hearings tomorrow. Here’s what to know.
