HHS Nomination Heads to Full Senate Vote

On February 4, the U.S. Finance Committee voted 14-13 to recommend Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mr. Kennedy’s nomination will move to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote.

Mr. Kennedy, whom President Donald Trump named to lead HHS after Kennedy dropped his own presidential bid and endorsed Trump, overcame opposition from both Democrats and Republicans concerned with his myriad views on topics such as vaccines, abortion, environmental regulation, food production, and drug legalization.

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was the key undecided vote after he questioned Kennedy sharply at a hearing of the Senate’s health panel about Kennedy’s assertions about the safety of widely accepted vaccines. However, Senator Cassidy ultimately voted in favor of Mr. Kennedy’s nomination.

Advocacy and You 2025 Webinar

Please join Tina Stern, AuD, assistant professor, Division of Audiology at the University of Miami Ear Institute, and Joanne Zurcher, vice president of Government Relations and Policy at the American Academy of Audiology, for a live webinar, Advocacy and You in 2025: A Conversation with the Academy’s Advocacy Leaders, on February 13 at 6:30 pm ET.

It’s a new year, a new Congress, and a new forecast for audiology. Join a membership discussion about the political landscape for 2025 and how to get involved to help advance priorities and seek opportunities for audiology.