The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services is "not a slam dunk," Sen. John Fetterman told "Fox News Sunday."
The Pennsylvania Democrat, when asked if he has reached a decision on whether he will vote for or against Kennedy, said he has spoken to those on both sides.
"It's been challenging for sure. Absolutely. It's certainly not a slam dunk for the nomination," he said.
Fetterman, who has met with Kennedy twice in his office, insisted that whatever his final decision ends up being, it will be "an informed view."
"I've invested a lot of time to really understand his background and to learn more about the man. I approached with an open mind and I watched the hearing. And that's how the process works," he said.
"I've made an investment to really understand and talk to all of the nominees, and I treated everyone with respect and I took the time to listen, and that's been part of my commitment."
Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat who switched his presidential campaign against Joe Biden to then run as an independent before he dropped out of the race to support Donald Trump, faces crucial committee and full Senate confirmation votes in his bid to head 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the county's food and health.
Most of the difficult questions concerning his nomination on such issues of vaccines, abortion, Medicaid, and other issues came from Democrats. But Thursday's hearing ended with the top Republican on the Health Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, saying he was "struggling" with Kennedy's nomination.
"Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me," he said.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.