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.

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

Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s confirmation hearings began Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee. He appears before the Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee on Thursday. Anti-vaccine advocates are celebrating Kennedy’s committee appearance as a ‘historic’ event The anti-vaccine nonprofit group Kennedy used to lead,