Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared a crucial hurdle for confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary. Here's what happens next in the Senate

Kyra Kennedy, 29, is the youngest daughter of health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the controversial environmental lawyer turned public health critic, is set to find out on Tuesday if he has cleared the first hurdle to become the nation’s top health official when the Senate Finance Committee votes on his nomination.

The Senate Finance Committee will vote Tuesday on Robert F. Kennedy Jr's appointment to direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings made clear that he is unqualified to be HHS secretary even beyond his positions on vaccines, writes Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., once seen as a long shot to serve as America’s top health official, is now set to head to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance voted on Tuesday (February 4) to advance President Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

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.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared a key hurdle Tuesday after a Senate panel voted to advance his nomination to be health and human services secretary to the full chamber.