The news: The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cleared the Senate Finance Committee, sending his nomination to the full Senate floor for a vote that is anticipated to happen next week. The committee voted for Kennedy 14-13 along party lines.

The big takeaway: The vote is significant in that Senator Bill Cassidy (R., La.), a physician, cast the deciding vote in Kennedy’s favor. It had not been clear how Cassidy would vote, considering he recently expressed concerns about Kennedy and his history of comments suggesting a link between vaccines and autism. As a physician, Cassidy’s vote holds considerable influence and implicitly gives other Senators the go-ahead to move forward with the party line.

Why it matters: Kennedy is only one full Senate vote away from heading the HHS, where he would be tasked with overseeing the federal public health system, Medicare and Medicaid policy, national healthcare research money, and food and drug regulation.