Former Westchester resident and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one step closer to becoming the country's top health official, scoring enough votes from the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday, Jan. 4 to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

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

The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to send Kennedy’s bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services to the full chamber.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal vaccine skeptic and activist lawyer, appeared on track to become the nation's health secretary after winning the crucial support of Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor who says Kennedy has assured him he would not topple the nation's childhood vaccination program.

After months of uncertainty, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took a major step toward confirmation as the next HHS secretary after the Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination.

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Health and Human Services faced tough questioning in hearings about vaccines, abortion and other major health-care issues.

In a starkly partisan vote, the Republican-controlled Senate Finance Committee advanced Kennedy’s nomination 14-13, sending his bid to oversee the $1.7 trillion U.S. Health and Human Services agency for a full vote on the Senate floor.