On Feb. 4, President Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was advanced out of committee to a full vote on the Senate floor. The Senate Finance Committee voted a party-line 14-13 in favor of advancing RFK, Jr. to the final hurdle, despite fierce opposition from some Democrats, particularly Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
Kennedy’s final confirmation may still be a couple of weeks away. The nominee cannot afford to lose more than three Republican votes on the Senate floor, assuming that his confirmation is unanimously opposed by Senate Democrats – and the three Independent senators who vote unerringly with Democrats – which appears likely.