Senate Committee to Vote on RFK Jr. Nomination, House Tries to Move Forward on Budget Resolution

The Senate Finance Committee is set to vote on the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr., President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on Tuesday morning. All eyes are on Senator Cassidy (R-LA), who publicly struggled at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions hearing last week with whether to support RFK Jr. for the role of HHS Secretary. If Senator Cassidy and all Democrats on the Finance Committee vote against RFK Jr.’s confirmation, the committee would need to move him to a full floor vote without the committee’s support.

Last week, House Republicans used a retreat to try to coalesce around the reconciliation process. The House Budget Committee should hold a markup of the budget resolution this week to meet the schedule put forth by Speaker Johnson. However, so far no scheduled meeting has been posted. The House Budget Committee includes Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and some other very conservative members who appear to be raising concerns about the committee directives that might appear in the budget resolution – and are seeking to have higher numbers inserted than leadership had intended, because their top concern is lowering federal spending.

Turning to the Administration, there was a lot of activity over the weekend that included shutting down agency websites, Department of Government Efficiency representatives gaining access to closely controlled government databases, and layoffs of government employees.

Also over the weekend, President Trump imposed tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico, reportedly for their roles in illegal immigration into the United States, and in producing and trafficking fentanyl. President Trump called the flow of contraband drugs into the United States a national emergency and public health crisis. On Monday morning, President Trump paused the new tariffs on Mexico for one month after Mexico agreed to reinforce its northern border with 10,000 National Guard members. Canada and Mexico indicated that they may to impose tariffs on the United States as well.

Today’s Podcast

In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Julia Grabo to discuss the next steps in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate confirmation process, budget reconciliation in the House, and the flurry of recent activity from the White House.