Food industry pledges to work with RFK Jr following confirmation as health secretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine critic who President Donald Trump directed to “go wild” on healthcare, was confirmed Thursday by the U.S. Senate as the country’s top health official.

The 52-48 vote to confirm Kennedy was nearly along party lines. Every Republican senator voted for Kennedy except Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who joined with the 47 senators caucusing with the Democrats in opposition.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., was a key vote to secure Kennedy’s confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Cassidy, a physician, had admitted to “struggling” with Kennedy’s history of promoting vaccine misinformation during a confirmation hearing last week. But ultimately Cassidy voted to advance the nomination and confirm him Thursday, after Kennedy promised to “work within” existing vaccine approval and safety systems.

As HHS secretary, Kennedy will run one of the federal government’s largest agencies, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Under the banner of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, Kennedy has promised to tackle the country’s rising incidence of chronic disease and take aim at over-processed foods that contribute to obesity. During his confirmation hearing, Kennedy called for more research into food additives — including red, blue and yellow food dyes — and for bringing ingredient standards in line with European nations.

Kennedy has also taken issue with the FDA’s “generally recognized as safe” standard, which allows ingredients to escape premarket review if they’re widely recognized to be safe among scientific experts. Kennedy said in confirmation hearings that the FDA currently “looks at any new chemical [as] innocent until proven guilty.”

Consumer Brands Association, which lobbies on behalf of large food companies, said it stands “ready to work” with Kennedy, noting that the CPG industry is the largest domestic manufacturing employer supporting more than 22 million jobs.

“The makers of America’s household brands deliver safe, affordable and convenient products that consumers want, need and trust. Keeping consumers and their families safe is our number one priority,” the group said in a statement. “We stand ready to work with Secretary Kennedy and qualified experts within HHS to support public health, build consumer trust and promote consumer choice.”

Also on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Brooke Rollins, former CEO of the America First Policy Institute, as Secretary of Agriculture. Rollins, who Republicans favored for her close relationship to Trump, will oversee regulation of meat, poultry and dairy industries.