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.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees many of the country’s health agencies, from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate and environmental activist, endorsed Donald Trump last year and threw his weight behind a campaign to “Make America Healthy Again.” For the past two decades he has been best known for airing skeptical views on vaccines.

The hearings were packed to capacity with protesters and fans, while the spillover crowd hung out in hallways and overflow rooms.

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

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced intense scrutiny about previous statements at his first confirmation hearing for DHHS secretary.

President Donald Trump's new appointee to head US Human and Health Services, Robert F. Kennedy, is likely to make some changes to Medicaid, his testimony to the Senate Finance Committee revealed Wednesday.