RFK Jr.'s confirmation as health secretary

Gone quiet · last story Feb 12, 2025

What this arc covers

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s path to leading the Department of Health and Human Services: Donald Trump's pick of him in November 2024, the letters from doctors and Nobel laureates urging senators to reject him, his meetings with senators and his resignation from an anti-vaccine nonprofit, his confirmation hearings on vaccines, Medicare and Medicaid, and the Senate votes confirming him in February 2025.

Earliest story we hold Nov 14, 2024 · 14 stories · 126 independent sources (counted once each) · 90 days

Part ofRobert F. Kennedy Jr.Donald TrumpUnited States Department of Health and Human ServicesUnited States SenateMitch McConnellAustraliaTulsi GabbardUnited States Food and Drug Administration

Part of Trump's cabinet nominations

  1. Matt Gaetz's withdrawn nomination for attorney general and the House Ethics reportNov 13, 2024 – Apr 2, 2025
  2. Pete Hegseth's confirmation as defense secretaryNov 13, 2024 – Jan 24, 2025
  3. RFK Jr.'s confirmation as health secretaryThis arcNov 14, 2024 – Feb 12, 2025
  4. Marty Makary's time leading the FDA and Heidi Overton's nomination to succeed himNov 23, 2024 – Sep 24, 2026
  5. Kash Patel at the FBI, from his nomination to the fights over his tenureDec 1, 2024 – Sep 15, 2026
  6. Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney generalApr 2 – Aug 8, 2026

Part of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

  1. RFK Jr.'s confirmation as health secretaryThis arcNov 14, 2024 – Feb 12, 2025
  2. RFK Jr.'s overhaul of US vaccine policy and the CDC's vaccine panelFeb 19, 2025 – Sep 25, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Feb 12– 142025Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary - Boston News, Weather, Sports106 articles · 68 independent sources
10 left, 20 center, 9 right
Feb 42025Senate Finance Committee advances RFK Jr.'s nomination to be Trump's health secretary49 articles · 27 independent sources
2 left, 14 center, 4 right
Feb 42025Senate panel advances Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nomination to become health secretary9 articles · 9 independent sources
4 left, 4 center, 0 right

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Nov 14 – 15, 2024Trump picks RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist, for Health and Human Services secretary170 articles · 80 independent sources
  2. Dec 16 – 17, 2024RFK Jr. meets with senators as questions swirl about Trump's pick to lead health agency - The Daily Reporter22 articles · 16 independent sources
  3. Jan 29 – 31, 2025RFK Jr. HHS Confirmation: Kennedy Says He Will Give Up Stake In Vaccine Lawsuit131 articles · 54 independent sources
    1. Jan 29, 2025Takeaways from RFK Jr.‘s first confirmation hearing as Trump’s nominee for health secretary
    2. Jan 31, 2025RFK Jr. kept asking to see the science that vaccines were safe. After he saw it, he dismissed it
  4. Feb 4, 2025Senate Finance Committee advances RFK Jr.'s nomination to be Trump's health secretary49 articles · 27 independent sources
  5. Feb 12 – 14, 2025Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary - Boston News, Weather, Sports106 articles · 68 independent sources

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

Nov 11Dec 2Dec 16Jan 6Jan 20Feb 10

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Nov 11, 2024152913162
Nov 18, 202423014
Dec 9, 20243329
Dec 16, 202445534
Jan 6, 20250207
Jan 20, 20251128
Jan 27, 2025193010161
Feb 3, 2025618456
Feb 10, 202510209101

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

26% left · 56% center · 18% right of 126 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 14 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. November 2024

    Nov 14– 15Trump picks RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist, for Health and Human Services secretary170 articles · 80 independent sources
    15 left, 29 center, 13 right
  2. Nov 18– 19Caroline Kennedy, a U.S. ambassador, says her cousin RFK Jr. holds ‘dangerous' views on vaccines15 articles · 7 independent sources
    2 left, 3 center, 0 right

  3. December 2024

    Dec 10RFK Jr. Cabinet Nomination: Dozens Of Nobel Winners Urge Senate To Reject Trump’s HHS Pick5 articles · 5 independent sources
    3 left, 1 center, 1 right
  4. Dec 13– 17Kennedy says he’s ‘all for’ polio vaccine as GOP senators raise questions about his views17 articles · 13 independent sources
    1 left, 5 center, 3 right
  5. Dec 16– 17RFK Jr. meets with senators as questions swirl about Trump's pick to lead health agency - The Daily Reporter22 articles · 16 independent sources
    3 left, 2 center, 2 right

  6. January 2025

    Jan 9More than 15,000 doctors sign letter urging Senate to reject RFK Jr. as health secretary8 articles · 4 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 0 right
  7. Jan 23RFK Jr. says he's resigned from anti-vaccine nonprofit as he seeks nation's top health official job7 articles · 7 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 2 right
  8. Jan 26– 29Trump's health secretary pick, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faces confirmation hearing11 articles · 10 independent sources
    4 left, 5 center, 1 right
  9. Jan 28– 305 takeaways from the confirmation hearings for RFK Jr., Gabbard and Patel10 articles · 8 independent sources
    2 left, 3 center, 3 right
  10. Jan 29– 30Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles to answer questions on Medicare and Medicaid at confirmation hearing19 articles · 14 independent sources
    0 left, 5 center, 0 right
  11. Jan 29– 31RFK Jr. HHS Confirmation: Kennedy Says He Will Give Up Stake In Vaccine Lawsuit131 articles · 54 independent sources
    16 left, 26 center, 9 right

  12. February 2025

    Feb 4Senate Finance Committee advances RFK Jr.'s nomination to be Trump's health secretary49 articles · 27 independent sources
    2 left, 14 center, 4 right
  13. Feb 4Senate panel advances Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nomination to become health secretary9 articles · 9 independent sources
    4 left, 4 center, 0 right
  14. Feb 12– 14Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary - Boston News, Weather, Sports106 articles · 68 independent sources
    10 left, 20 center, 9 right