Sen. John Cornyn(right) and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (left) met on Thursday with Cornyn saying he would support Kennedy's nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. (Office of U.S. Senator John Cornyn)
WASHINGTON - Texas Sen. John Cornyn on Thursday confirmed his support for President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
What we know:
Cornyn met with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Thursday to discuss the latter's HHS secretary nomination.
The senator posted a photo of himself with Kennedy on the social media platform, X, saying they had a great conversation and that he would support his nomination.
What they're saying:
"Look forward to working with him, and I intend to support his nomination," Cornyn said.
Cornyn answered criticisms of Trump's pick of Kennedy.
"President Trump won this election decisively," Cornyn said. "He's entitled to his team."
Kennedy's role as an anti-vaccine advocate has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle.
Kennedy has been meeting with senators this week ahead of Trump's inauguration and forthcoming confirmation hearings.
Those meetings include some of the top Democrats in the Senate, Fox News reports.
Cornyn, a Republican, pushed Democrats to confirm Kennedy and warned them to not "sabotage" the Trump presidency.
"Democrats are not entitled to sabotage this President by denying him his cabinet, and I intend to do everything I can to see that they are speedily confirmed."
The backstory:
Kennedy's confirmation is not a sure thing, with critics coming from both sides of the aisle.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told "Fox News Sunday" that Kennedy was wrong about vaccinations. Cassidy is the incoming chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
The senator said ultra-processed foods were a problem, but said Kennedy was "wrong" about vaccinations.
Hawaii's Democratic Gov. Josh Green is another opponent of Kennedy.
Green, a practicing physician, went to Capitol Hill to argue against confirming Kennedy to the HHS post. The governor said he would discuss "better" options for Kennedy rather than HHS and called a potential confirmation a "bad idea."
What's next:
In order for Kennedy to be confirmed as the next HHS Secretary, he would need to go through the Senate confirmation process and secure a simple majority of votes.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Sen. Cornyn's office and Fox News.