The vote capped a remarkable rise for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was confirmed by a Republican Senate in a chamber where his father and uncles once served as Democrats.

RFK Jr. will run the federal agency responsible for drug approvals, Medicare and Medicaid, vaccination guidance, public-health emergencies, and pandemic preparedness.

Kennedy will oversee some of the federal government’s largest public health agencies, including the NIH, FDA, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services