On Feb. 12, Alaska’s U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan voted to advance the nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. to a final vote of the full U.S. Senate, where he is expected to be confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services within the next day.

In a 53-47 vote Republicans banded together to advance Kennedy to the final vote. While Sullivan was considered a firm Kennedy supporter, Murkowski was widely viewed as a questionable vote, as she regularly breaks with her GOP colleagues to help Democrats block key GOP priorities. That was not the case on Feb. 12.

Just before the vote to advance Kennedy’s nomination to a final vote, Murkowski released a statement declaring her support for him.

“While there is no dispute that the U.S. spends more per capita on healthcare than any other country, our health outcomes do not reflect this investment,” she posted to social media. “Instead of focusing on who covers our exorbitant healthcare costs, we need to reduce these costs by directing our attention to prevention and keeping people healthy. This is the appeal of RFK, and many Alaskans have shared that view with me. Chronic conditions are a significant source of illness and major drivers of public debt; he recognizes this and is committed to addressing it.”

That said, Murkowski said she continues to “have concerns” about Kennedy’s views on vaccines and what she characterized as “his selective interpretation of scientific studies, which initially caused my misgivings about his nomination.”

Murkowski went on to praise vaccines, and said she sought assurance that, as HHS Secretary, Kennedy would do nothing to make it difficult for people to take vaccines or discourage vaccination efforts.

“He has made numerous commitments to me and my colleagues, promising to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and to base vaccine recommendations on data-driven, evidence-based, and medically sound research,” Murkowski continued. “These commitments are important to me and, on balance, provide assurance for my vote.”

Murkowski closed by lauding Kennedy for spending time with indigenous peoples, his commitment to tribal sovereignty, and his promised attention to the Indian Health Service.

“He has spent time in rural Alaska and understands some of the unique public health challenges we face that require complex solutions,” Murkowski concluded. “There is much shared work ahead to achieve better public health outcomes, and I will push Mr. Kennedy to realize these goals.”

Kennedy has undergone a contentious hearing process in the U.S. Senate, and his final confirmation vote will require Republicans to unify around the man Trump has tapped to run the $2 trillion, 80,000-employee federal health system.

For decades, Kennedy has been an outspoken critic against pharmaceutical giants, agriculture practices, chemical industries and a number of vaccines. Trump has tapped him to fight America’s chronic disease epidemic by strengthening safety protocols on a host of drugs and vaccines, while overhauling regulatory bodies that oversee U.S. agricultural practices.

Kennedy was also a vocal critic of the way experimental Covid shots were hastily approved and rolled out – leading to severe adverse reactions and even death for many Americans.

Over the past few weeks, many Alaskans have flooded Murkowski’s office with messages and phone calls, telling her to support Kennedy. Those efforts appear to have had an impact.

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