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

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.

PolitiFact is live fact-checking the confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel, two of President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confronted with a number of his baseless claims and a vexing abortion issue. But Republican senators treaded lightly.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vaccines are not safe. His support for abortion access has made conservatives uncomfortable.

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).

Caroline Kennedy on Tuesday warned that her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a “predator” ahead of his high-profile confirmation hearings this week to be President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services secretary,

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.

Some Senate Republicans who would confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s as the nation's top health official are uncomfortable with his views on abortion access and banning corn syrup and pesticides from America's food supply.