Some Republicans are treating Sen. Bill Cassidy’s engagement with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposals as a litmus test for how closely the Louisiana senator aligns himself with the MAGA movement.
Cassidy, a doctor and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, was one of several Republicans to express skepticism over Kennedy’s appointment, and said he only agreed to confirm him after several “intense conversations.” But he is also facing what is likely to be a difficult reelection campaign next year, and pressure continues to build to his right.
“He’s trying to split the baby on this. Naturally, he wants to be a little bit more aggressive against RFK Jr. and some of the things that he’s talking about,” a Republican strategist told NOTUS. “I wouldn’t say Republican voters are saying, like, ‘We love RFK Jr.’ But he is seen as an emissary of the president — that the president chose to run HHS for a reason. So there’s some residual support there.”