The top Republican on the Senate's chief health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., indicated Thursday that he was “struggling" to confirm Kennedy over his inability to admit vaccines are safe and don't cause autism.

GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy said he was "struggling" with Kennedy's nomination for health and human services secretary after repeatedly challenging his views on vaccines.

The data is there,” GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy bluntly told the nominee for secretary of health and human services.

R obert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was grilled by Democratic senators during his confirmation hearing on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, who confronted him with conspiratorial and conflicting statements he has made about COVID-19.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he wasn’t antivaccine as senators pressed on his past remarks, in the first of two days of hearings over his nomination for health secretary.

If approved, Kennedy will control a $1.7 trillion agency that oversees food and hospital inspections, hundreds of health clinics, vaccine recommendations and health insurance for roughly half the country.

Kennedy’s bid to serve as America’s top health official may be decided by a handful of Republicans, including several senators who questioned him Thursday.

Mary Holland, head of Kennedy-founded Children's Health Defense, spoke to POLITICO after attending his confirmation hearing.