The Republican-led US Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the new health secretary on Thursday, despite widespread concerns from the medical community about his history of spreading false information about vaccines and rejecting scientific evidence.
Referred to widely as "RFK Jr.", the 71-year-old nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy secured the nomination by a vote of 52-48, becoming the latest contentious member of US President Donald Trump's cabinet.
Former Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell voted no, serving as the sole Republican dissenter.
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Kennedy currently heads a department that oversees over 80,000 employees and a budget of more than US$1.7 trillion. At the same time, scientists are sounding the alarm about the increasing threat of bird flu potentially leading to a human pandemic, as vaccination rates decline and once-conquered childhood diseases are experiencing a resurgence.
He was previously an environmental lawyer who sued the multinational agricultural chemical company Monsanto and accused climate change deniers of being traitors.
He has spent the past 20 years promoting conspiracy theories, including claims that childhood vaccines are linked to autism, the Covid-19 virus spares Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, and that germs do not cause infectious diseases.
It was his shift towards Republican positions - particularly on abortion, which he once supported but has since signalled a willingness to further restrict - that ultimately won over conservative lawmakers who were initially wary of his past.
During intense confirmation hearings, Democrats highlighted what they described as glaring conflicts of interest in Kennedy's financial disclosures: substantial consulting fees from law firms that were suing pharmaceutical companies.
They also highlighted concerns about allegations of sexual misconduct and his claims that antidepressants are linked to school shootings.
Kennedy gained momentum with his "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) proposal, a nod to Trump's famous slogan, by stressing the importance of tackling the country's persistent disease problem through stricter regulations on the food industry.
These ideas have cross-party appeal, although experts are uncertain about how he will put them into practice, given his history of skepticism towards evidence-based science.
Kennedy first ran as an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election, generating headlines with a series of unusual disclosures.
Among them was his claim of recovering from a parasitic brain infection, and his daughter's account of him using a chainsaw to behead a dead whale.
Last year, 77 Nobel Prize winners wrote an open letter to the Senate expressing their opposition to his nomination, stating that his confirmation could potentially put public health at risk.
He was also strongly opposed by his own family, with his cousin Caroline Kennedy, a former diplomat, recently calling him a "predator" who led younger relatives down the path of drug addiction.
He's a frightening man, a hazardous individual, and I believe he poses a threat to public safety," Dr. Paul Offit, a renowned vaccine specialist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia stated. "This situation has all the makings of a catastrophe, and I'm afraid it will come to pass.
Critics have accused Republican senators of deliberately turning a blind eye.
"They're pretending it's believable that RFK Jr. won't use his new position to do exactly what he's been trying to do for decades - undermine vaccination efforts," said Democratic Senator Patty Murray.
She noted that there is no obstacle to prevent Kennedy from dismissing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, which establishes which vaccines must be covered by insurance.
Kennedy has also pledged to dismantle the Food and Drug Administration and suspend research on infectious diseases.
The Senate has confirmed all of the individuals nominated by Trump for the cabinet positions so far.
Just one day prior, lawmakers approved Tulsi Gabbard as Trump's choice to head the US intelligence services, despite reservations about her limited experience and past backing of rival nations like Russia and Syria.
Gabbard's confirmation is seen as further evidence of Trump's strong hold on his party, following a series of contentious cabinet appointments - including a defense secretary accused of sexual assault and an FBI director who is reportedly driven by political motivations.
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