The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services on February 13, 2025, by a 52-48 vote along party lines. Kennedy, a former Democratic environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist who ran as an independent presidential candidate in 2024 before endorsing Trump, became the first HHS secretary without a conventional medical or public health background in decades. These facts are confirmed by Fox News, NPR, CNN, NBC News, and Senate records.

Within six weeks of confirmation, Kennedy's HHS took several notable actions. The Centers for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had its scheduled February meeting cancelled; Kennedy later restructured the committee's membership. HHS removed long-standing guidance on COVID-19 vaccines from the CDC website, including some language recommending vaccination for pregnant women. FDA altered guidance on raw milk consumption. Kennedy announced the 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative, including a review of food dye approvals and ultra-processed food in school nutrition programs.

Pediatric medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, issued statements of concern about changes to vaccine guidance, saying the alterations could undermine public confidence in childhood immunization schedules. The American Academy of Family Physicians called for reinstatement of the removed guidance.

Fox News and the Daily Wire covered Kennedy's actions as fulfilling his mandate to challenge 'chronic disease and food industry capture of federal agencies.' NPR, CNN, and medical groups expressed alarm that the changes were not based on new scientific evidence and could reduce vaccination rates. Both sides acknowledged that Kennedy had received bipartisan attention to the issue of chronic disease in America, with some Democrats expressing sympathy for the food-policy portions of his agenda even while opposing his vaccine positions.