RFK Jr. scrapes through to next stage of confirmation after Trump's last-ditch autism plea

President Donald Trump's Cabinet pick Robert Kennedy Jr. squeaked done to beforehand his information for caput of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Kennedy was a arguable nominee who was enactment nether the microscope for his stances connected vaccinations, termination and for promoting conspiracy theories. 

He needed the enactment of each Senate Republican connected the Senate Finance Committee for his information to determination guardant to a afloat ballot successful the Senate, and successful the extremity helium squeaked through. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, had large concerns with Kennedy's ever-changing presumption connected vaccines. 

But it appears Trump and his MAGA allies successfully pressured the legislator to backmost Kennedy, getting him implicit the procedural hurdle. 

Trump made a last-ditch plea to Cassidy successful a Truth Social station noting the emergence successful autism successful the U.S.

'20 years ago, Autism successful children was 1 successful 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 successful 34. WOW! Something’s truly wrong. We request BOBBY!!! Thank You! DJT,' helium wrote.

A fewer minutes later, Cassidy announced helium would ballot to beforehand Kennedy's nomination. 

'I’ve had precise aggravated conversations with Bobby and the White House implicit the play and adjacent this morning,' Cassidy wrote connected X.

'I privation to convey VP JD specifically for his honorable counsel. With the superior commitments I’ve received from the medication and the accidental to marque advancement connected the issues we hold connected similar steadfast foods and a pro-American agenda, I volition ballot yes,' helium said up of the vote. 

The Senate volition present acceptable up a last confirmation ballot for Kennedy successful the coming days arsenic Trump pushes done his apical advisers. 

Kennedy isn't Trump's archetypal Cabinet nominee to look a grueling confirmation process. Tulsi Gabbard besides has a pugnacious committee ballot scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

The ballot came aft Kennedy faces 2 grueling confirmation hearings past week connected Capitol Hill. 

The archetypal was earlier the Senate Finance Committee wherever lawmakers raised his past anti-vaccine enactment and slammed by Democrats for promoting conspiracy theories. 

Senators besides raised questions astir however helium would grip Medicare and Medicaid and expressed concerns aft helium appeared to confuse cardinal details astir the programs.

Some Republican senators besides pressed him for reassurances astir his stance connected termination aft the erstwhile Democrat antecedently said helium was pro-abortion rights. 

One time later, Kennedy went earlier the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for a 2nd hearing. 

In some hearings, Kennedy insisted helium was pro-vaccine and pro-science and would travel the data. But immoderate lawmakers were not convinced. 

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a doc who chairs the HELP Committee grilled Kennedy implicit his stance connected vaccines and pressed him to contradict determination were a nexus betwixt vaccines and autism, but Kennedy would not unequivocally accidental it.

At the extremity of the hearing, the legislator said helium was 'struggling' with Kennedy's implicit his past statements which undermined assurance successful puerility vaccines. 

While the HELP committee would not ballot to beforehand Kennedy's information Cassidy besides sits connected the Senate Finance Committee, which does vote.

Heading into Tuesday, Cassidy who is up for reelection successful 2026, was facing immense unit from Kennedy backers to ballot for the nominee. 

As of Monday evening, helium was inactive undecided connected however helium would vote. 

This communicative is processing and volition beryllium updated.