President Donald Trump's nominee for US Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was confirmed on Thursday with a 52-48 vote by the US Senate largely along party lines.
Only one Republican, former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, voted against Kennedy's nomination along with all 47 Democrats.
The confirmation paves the way for him to be sworn in to lead the massive Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing multiple high-profile agencies, including the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kennedy, 71, is an environmental lawyer who has long sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines that have helped curb disease and prevented millions of deaths for decades.
He will now run a HHS department that directs more than $3 trillion in healthcare spending. Also under HHS purview are the Medicare and Medicaid programs that provide health insurance for over 140 million Americans and the National Institutes of Health.
Presidential run
Kennedy ran for president in last year's election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republican's administration.
"He's going to help make America healthy again," Trump said in his victory speech on Nov. 6. "He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him get to it," he said.