WASHINGTON >> Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a vaccine critic who endorsed President Donald Trump after abandoning his own presidential bid, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Secretary of Health and Human Services today, overcoming resistance from the medical establishment and members of Congress.

The vote was 52-48, with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky the lone Republican joining all 47 Democrats to vote against Kennedy, who had made pledges to protect existing vaccination programs in a bid to secure the votes of hesitant lawmakers.

The confirmation paves the way for him to be sworn in to the job overseeing multiple high-profile agencies, including the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kennedy, 71, is an environmental lawyer who has long sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines that have helped curb disease and prevented millions deaths for decades.

He will now run an HHS department that directs more than $3 trillion in healthcare spending. Also under HHS purview are the Medicare and Medicaid programs that provide health insurance for over 140 million Americans and the National Institutes of Health.

Additional reporting by Stephanie Kelly.