Fearing a primary challenge, the Louisiana Republican and physician backed away from his critique of RFK Jr. to recommend his nomination. It’s unlikely to be blocked in the Senate.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) listens as the Senate Finance Committee votes on February 4, 2025, to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next secretary of health and human services.(Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)
On Sunday, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy quoted from the Bible’s Book of Joshua 10:25 on the X platform. “Joshua said to them, do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”
Cassidy, a physician and vaccine advocate, had been the lone hope for a GOP vote against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Senate Finance Committee, which would have blocked his nomination as Health and Human Services secretary. The Louisiana senator has sounded grave skepticism about Kennedy, but he’s been threatened with a primary challenge if he votes against Donald Trump’s crackpot nominee. One could hope he was praying for courage to vote against Kennedy with his Bible verse on Sunday.
It seems he was praying for the courage to ignore what he knows about Kennedy’s anti-vaccine, anti-science views and vote for him anyway. The pair had a testy set of exchanges in committees last week, leading some of us to hope Cassidy would oppose the nomination. “My responsibility is to learn—try and determine—if you can be trusted to support the best public health, a worthy movement called MAHA to improve the health of Americans, or to undermine it, always asking for more evidence and never accepting the evidence that is there,” he told Kennedy. He went on: “Does a 70-year-old man, 71-year-old man who spent decades criticizing vaccines, and who’s financially invested in finding fault with vaccines—can he change his attitudes and approach now that he’ll have the most important position influencing vaccine policy in the United States?” Cassidy asked.
But on Monday morning, just before his vote, Cassidy posted something new on X—fealty to Trump and Kennedy. “I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning. I want to thank VP JD [Vance] specifically for his honest counsel. With the serious commitments I’ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes.”
Kennedy’s nomination headed to the full Senate on a strict 14–13 party-line committee vote.
Is there any hope that the full Senate will vote against Kennedy? There’s reason to believe Senator Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, will vote down the purveyor of vaccine lies. He might be joined by the unpredictable Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who allied with McConnell to oppose the deeply unqualified, personally troubled Pete Hegseth as defense secretary. (Vance had to break a Senate tie to get Hegseth confirmed.) Some had higher hopes for Cassidy, since he was one of seven Republicans who joined Democrats to convict Trump in his second impeachment four years ago.
After his committee vote, Cassidy took to the Senate floor to explain his decision, citing the “hundreds of people” who contacted him, “many of whom disagree with each other…. Maybe that frames my decision here.”
The most notable opponents, he said, “are pediatricians, who have to combat vaccine skepticism with information.” They worry, correctly, about falling vaccine rates in the nation. “Vaccines save lives,” Cassidy stated flatly. Vaccine critic Kennedy, he notes, says he “just wants good science. But the science is clear on this. Vaccines are safe. They do not cause autism.”
Nevertheless, he pledged to support and to work with Kennedy.
Cassidy said he was promised he will get 30-day notice if HHS seeks any changes to vaccine protocols—although the Louisiana physician himself doesn’t seem to think any such changes are needed.
“Mr. Kennedy and the administration committed that he and I will have an unusually collaborative relationship. That will allow us to accommodate all sides who contacted me this weekend,” he said.
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Cassidy has established a self-soothing story that lets him reconcile a decision he has to know is wrong—that he and Kennedy can bridge the fierce divide over vaccines and other public health issues among Americans. Cassidy seems to think there are “very fine people” on all sides of these debates. There are not.
I don’t see a scenario where Kennedy fails to be confirmed now, but I hope I’m wrong.
Joan WalshTwitterJoan Walsh, a national affairs correspondent for The Nation, is a coproducer of The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show and the author of What’s the Matter With White People? Finding Our Way in the Next America. Her new book (with Nick Hanauer and Donald Cohen) is Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power and Wealth In America.