Senate Republicans are signaling that they are open to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) despite his long-standing support of abortion rights and concerns emanating from anti-abortion voices about his selection.

Several leading anti-abortion figures and outfits have expressed concerns about Kennedy. But while Senate Republicans say they have questions for Kennedy on the topic of abortion, they also indicate that they could end up backing him largely out of deference to President-elect Trump.

“Donald Trump was elected to shake up things [from] Washington business as usual, and I think that’s the type of nominees he’s picking,” said Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “President Trump is pro-life, so I don’t think there’ll be any question with those who ultimately affect policy.”

Kennedy, the one-time presidential candidate, sought the HHS post and has pushed to “make America healthy again” if he is given the nod by the upper chamber in the coming months.

He has obstacles to overcome, headlined by his stance on vaccines and his call to remove fluoride from drinking water — two moves that would come under intense opposition.

But it’s his abortion-rights stance that is most anathema to Republican orthodoxy after the party helped cement the 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.

Some Senate Republicans have indicated that they expect Kennedy to be scrutinized on that topic specifically when he meets behind closed doors with Senate Republicans individually and during his potential confirmation hearings after Christmas.

© The Hill