Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in a Sunday interview sought to explain his controversial vote to confirm Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., acknowledging that Kennedy "has not restored trust in public health" despite the confirmation.
Cassidy, the first physician to serve as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, appeared on CBS News's "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan. The Louisiana Republican was defeated in a GOP primary earlier this year by a Trump-backed rival and will leave Capitol Hill in January.
The senator said he voted for Kennedy because he believed having him confirmed as HHS secretary would place guardrails around his influence on health policy, rather than allowing Kennedy to serve as an informal White House health czar without Senate oversight.
"The president seems to be fascinated with the Kennedys, so either he was going to be in a position where there were guardrails, and I did have commitments made as to what kind of guardrails, or he was going to be appointed White House health czar, in which case he would have the president's ear without the guardrails," Cassidy said. "I think it's quite as black and white as people like to say."
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats and public health advocates have sharply criticized Kennedy's tenure at HHS and questioned why any Republican senators supported his confirmation.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the HELP Committee's ranking member, called on Cassidy to open investigations into Kennedy's recent firings of a key vaccine advisory committee and into Kennedy's claims about vaccines. Sanders released a cache of HHS and CDC emails last week indicating Kennedy's direction in several key vaccination decisions.
According to those documents, Kennedy directed the cancellation of flu vaccine campaigns, restricted access to vaccines, allowed researchers to access "confidential data" to investigate the disproven claim that vaccines cause autism, and changed recommendations for COVID-19 shots without input from the CDC.
Public health experts aligned with Democrats argue that Kennedy's leadership has undermined decades of established medical consensus on immunization safety and efficacy. They point to a measles outbreak affecting thousands of children as evidence of declining vaccination rates linked to anti-vaccine messaging from HHS leadership.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative Republicans who supported Kennedy's confirmation argue he was elected to bring change to federal health agencies that many Americans distrust. They note that polling shows vaccine skepticism crosses party lines, with significant portions of Republican voters expressing concerns about government-recommended immunizations.
Defenders of Kennedy point to his stated positions since taking office, arguing that the secretary has moderated his stance on vaccines in response to public health realities, including the measles outbreak. They credit the Trump administration with "getting off the anti-vaccine message" and returning focus to mainstream public health priorities.
Some Republican strategists argue Cassidy made a pragmatic calculation: Kennedy would have influence over health policy regardless of whether he held a Senate-confirmed position or an informal White House role. By supporting confirmation, they contend, Cassidy secured commitments for guardrails that might not otherwise exist.
What the Numbers Show
Polling data cited by Cassidy indicates strong public support for vaccination. Surveys consistently show that a majority of Americans believe vaccines are important for public health, with confidence in routine childhood immunizations remaining relatively stable at around 70-75 percent nationally.
The measles outbreak referenced by Cassidy has resulted in thousands of cases across multiple states, primarily affecting communities with lower vaccination rates. CDC data shows immunization exemption rates have increased modestly but steadily over the past decade.
At HHS, several leadership positions remain filled by acting officials. The department currently lacks a confirmed surgeon general and a confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cassidy said he was "impressed" by candidates for those positions but expected confirmation processes to move forward.
The Bottom Line
Cassidy's explanation highlights the difficult calculations some Republicans faced when evaluating Kennedy's nomination. The senator argued that having a Senate-confirmed HHS secretary provided institutional checks on Kennedy's influence, even if it meant confirming someone whose public health views diverged sharply from medical consensus.
The breakdown of Cassidy's agreement with Kennedy over CDC vaccine information — specifically the autism page that remains online with an asterisk noting its retention per a congressional agreement — illustrates the challenges in securing commitments from an administration official. Cassidy told Brennan he no longer sees Kennedy as effective, stating: "At this point, the commitments that were made to me have been violated."
Whether Democrats regain control of Congress in November could determine whether Kennedy faces further scrutiny or potential removal from his post. Cassidy declined to speculate on impeachment proceedings but acknowledged that trust between himself and the HHS secretary has been destroyed.