Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)2025-02-04T11:23:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the controversial environmental lawyer turned public health critic, is set to find out on Tuesday if he has cleared the first hurdle to become the nations top health official when the Senate Finance Committee votes on his nomination.Democrats are still raising concerns about Kennedys potential to profit from anti-vaccine advocacy and lawsuits, but Republicans appear to be rallying behind President Donald Trumps health secretary nominee. On Monday, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican once viewed as a possible no vote, announced he would back Kennedy. Kennedy needs support from all but three Republicans if Democrats uniformly oppose him. What will doctor and Republican Bill Cassidy do? One key vote remains in question: Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana physician who sits on the finance committee that will vote on Kennedys confirmation. Last week, during Kennedys hearings, Cassidy repeatedly implored Kennedy to reject a disproven theory that vaccines cause autism, to no avail. He ended the hearing by saying he was struggling with the vote. Your past, undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments, concerns me, Cassidy told Kennedy.On Monday evening, Cassidy told reporters that he had very cordial conversations with Kennedy over the weekend but was still working through how to handle his vote.Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are all seen as potential no votes, too, because they voted against Trumps defense secretary nominee and have expressed concerns about Kennedys anti-vaccine work. In a CBS 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday, McConnell declined to say how he would vote on Kennedys nomination but reiterated vaccines are critically important. Democrats still have questions for KennedyDemocrats, meanwhile, continue to raise alarms about Kennedys potential to financially benefit from changing vaccine guidelines or weakening federal lawsuit protections against vaccine makers if confirmed as health secretary. It seems possible that many different types of vaccine-related decisions and communications which you would be empowered to make and influence as Secretary could result in significant financial compensation for your family, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote in a letter sent over the weekend to Kennedy. Kennedy said hell give his son all of the referral fees in legal cases against vaccine makers, including the fees he gets from referring clients in a case against Merck. Kennedy told the committee hes referred hundreds of clients to a law firm thats suing Mercks Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. Hes earned $2.5 million from the deal over the past three years. As secretary, Kennedy will oversee vaccine recommendations and public health campaigns for the $1.7 trillion agency, which is also responsible for food and hospital inspections, providing health insurance for millions of Americans and researching deadly diseases. Who are the wild card votes?Kennedys allies are still holding out hope that they could entice a Democrat or two to their side. A pressure campaign has been focused on Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who has expressed support for Kennedys push to make American foods more healthy. Pennsylvanias Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has also been a focus, although he told Fox News Channel this weekend that the nomination was challenging. A Democratic-led opposition campaign, built around Kennedys anti-vaccine advocacy and influence in Samoa during a measles outbreak that left dozens of children and infants dead in 2019, has also narrowed in on Republican Sen. John Curtis, who represents Utah, home to one of the nations largest Samoan populations. Tuesdays vote is just the startThe Senate finance committee, made up of 25 senators, will vote on whether to recommend Kennedy for a vote on the Senate floor, where all 100 senators will have the chance to vote on the nomination.The committee vote will be a strong indicator of where things are headed for Kennedy, but its not necessarily the final word. Even if the committee votes against his confirmation seemingly unlikely Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., could still push for a floor vote.If Kennedy gets the committees recommendation, he could still have work to do to win over Collins, Murkowski and McConnell. Cassidy also could potentially vote against Kennedys final confirmation even if he votes in favor of him Tuesday. What is MAHA?Kennedy, a longtime Democrat, ran for president but withdrew last year to throw his support to Trump in exchange for an influential job in his Republican administration. Together, they have forged a new and unusual coalition made up of conservatives who oppose vaccines and liberals who want to see the government promote healthier foods. Trump and Kennedy have branded the movement as Make America Healthy Again. AMANDA SEITZ Seitz is an Associated Press reporter covering federal health care policy. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto