Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in May. Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday that she will support Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, despite his well-documented history of criticizing vaccines and spreading the debunked theory that they cause autism.

In a written statement to the Press Herald on Tuesday afternoon, Collins said her support comes “after extensive public and private questioning and a thorough examination of his nomination,” in which she received assurances from Kennedy that he would support ongoing development of a Lyme disease vaccine. Collins asked Kennedy about a Lyme vaccine and other vaccines during the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

“In response to my questioning at the HELP Committee hearing, Mr. Kennedy committed to support MaineHealth’s development of a vaccine for Lyme disease, as well as research for both chronic and infectious diseases,” Collins said. “He told me he believed in the efficacy of the polio vaccine, and said he would help restore Americans’ confidence in vaccines and our health agencies,” she said. “I am also encouraged that Mr. Kennedy agreed to regular meetings with the chairman of the HELP Committee, who is a physician.”

Collins’ office did not respond to questions about why she thinks he is qualified or whether Kennedy, who faces widespread opposition from health care professionals, shares the blame for a loss of confidence in vaccines — a concern that she relayed to Kennedy during his confirmation hearing.

CNN’s Manu Raju posted on the social platform X that Collins told him Monday that she plans to support Kennedy to oversee the nation’s health care systems. His post only quotes Collins discussing her concerns about the National Institutes of Health cutting biomedical research funding — not why she thinks Kennedy should be confirmed.

On Monday, Collins said she had discussed her concerns about the “poorly conceived” NIH cuts with Kennedy. She repeated his assurances in her statement to the Press Herald Tuesday.

“This week, I contacted Mr. Kennedy about the administration’s decision to impose an arbitrary cap on the indirect costs that are part of (National Institutes of Health) grants and negotiated between the grant recipient and NIH. He stated that as soon as he is confirmed, he will lead a reexamination of this initiative,” she said. “I will continue to follow up with him to prevent the needless loss of jobs and to ensure that the vital biomedical research funded by the NIH continues.”

Collins is one of a handful of Republicans whose votes on President Donald Trump’s more controversial nominees are being closely watched. Republicans can only afford to lose three votes in the Senate if Democrats unanimously oppose a nominee. Receiving Collins’ support is a signal that Kennedy is winning over skeptics.

The Senate is expected to vote on Kennedy’s confirmation this week.

Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has not yet indicated how he will vote.

National and state medical groups and public health advocates have been pressuring Collins to oppose Kennedy’s confirmation. In recent weeks, 355 health care professionals in Maine submitted a letter urging Collins to reject Kennedy, calling him a “dangerous nominee.”

“Every day we see how health misinformation has eroded the trust between provider and patient,” the letter said. “RFK Jr., founder of Children’s Health Defense, the most damaging anti-vaccine organization in the world, has been fueling vaccine skepticism for decades.”

The nonprofit health advocacy group, Protect Our Care, launched ads urging senators in eight states, including Maine, to vote against Kennedy, issuing a statement that said he would “defund lifesaving research and put every American’s health and well-being at risk.”

The 30-second digital ad blames RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine views for contributing to the deaths of 83 people, including children, during a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa. It calls Kennedy “dangerous, reckless and unfit” to lead the nation’s health care system.

After Collins said Tuesday that she intends to support Kennedy, Maine Families for Vaccines released a written statement again urging Collins to oppose the nomination.

Concern about vaccine programs

“If RFK Jr. is confirmed, we expect attacks on vaccine programs at both the federal and state levels — putting communities at risk and undoing decades of progress. We urge all Mainers to contact Senator Collins now to voice their concerns about this appointment,” the group said.

During Kennedy’s confirmation hearing last month, Collins relayed concerns from Maine pediatricians about a drop in vaccine uptake. Kennedy replied that drop was because of distrust in the government.

“All vaccines are dropping, and they’re doing that because people don’t believe the government any more,” Kennedy replied. “We need good science, and I’m going to bring that in. I’m going to restore trust, and that will restore vaccine uptake.”

Collins did not press him on his history of opposing vaccines and falsely linking them to autism, instead asking whether he would stop development of a Lyme disease vaccine.