The talk of the town lately here on The Hayride has been the political future of current US Senator Bill Cassidy. Senator Cassidy can’t seem to stay out of the headlines lately—from some reportedly petty behavior during the Washington DC Mardi Gras ball to his massive fundraising numbers in anticipation of a 2026 reelection campaign.

This week, the US Senate committees will begin the confirmation process of Robert Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). More specifically, the Bill Cassidy-led Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a confirmation hearing for RFK Jr. tomorrow morning.

Yes, you read that correctly. Louisiana’s very own Bill Cassidy is the chairman of one of the roughly two dozen standing committees in the United States Senate.

Unsurprisingly, Bill Cassidy has remained unfairly opaque about his vote for RFK Jr.’s confirmation. He has not publicly stated whether he plans to vote for or against President Trump’s pick for HHS Secretary—despite numerous Louisiana voters requesting transparency from Senator Cassidy.

Now, there are some major red flags around Bill Cassidy’s potential vote if you’re in the pro-RFK Jr. camp.

First off, Bill Cassidy has received major monetary contributions from Big Pharma in recent years. According to nonpartisan nonprofit Open Secrets, the pharmaceutical industry has donated over $600k over the past five years. Similarly, the CEOs of Big Pharma giants Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Biogen, and Bristol Meyers Squidd all made personal contributions to Cassidy after he became the highest ranking Republican member on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in 2023.

RFK Jr’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda does not likely sit well with Cassidy’s Big Pharma donors. Therefore, many political observers doubt Cassidy will break from his donors and vote to confirm RFK Jr. in this confirmation hearing.

Secondly, Bill Cassidy has openly criticized RFK Jr. in recent weeks. During a Fox News Sunday interview earlier this month, Bill Cassidy claimed that RFK JR. is “wrong” on vaccines—despite the renewed concerns surrounding the safety of vaccines in recent years.

Finally, Bill Cassidy’s poor record of defending medical freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic is the third major red flag. As other writers here on The Hayride have pointed out, Bill Cassidy supported many draconian measures during the COVID-19 era—including his support of mask mandates and government-enforced quarantines and testing for COVID-19.

Don’t just take my word about Cassidy’s poor judgement. Check out his support for notorious government bureaucrat Dr. Anthony Fauci during a PBS interview in May 2020:

I have nothing but the highest respect for Anthony Fauci, period, end of story.

Do sometimes facts on the ground change and perceptions change? Absolutely. Fauci said today that he was not the end-all. So, he’s bringing a certain humility to it.

All this information goes to show that Bill Cassidy is at-best an undecided vote during the RFK Jr. confirmation hearings.

Cassidy’s unreliable support for President Trump and RFK Jr.’s confirmation has not gone unnoticed in Louisiana among elected officials and grassroots activists.

Several major Louisiana officials have publicly shared their support for RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary. Most notably, Governor Jeff Landry and Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham have both issued public letters urging Senator Cassidy to support RFK Jr. in this confirmation battle.

Besides our elected officials, several grassroots campaigns have started to spur Cassidy toward supporting RFK Jr.’s confirmation. For instance the Northshore Voters group has mailed out thousands of postcards (see the example below) informing Louisiana voters about Cassidy’s hostility to the MAGA agenda.

Similarly, other grassroots Louisiana groups like LACAG and the Health Freedom Louisiana have issued “calls to action” for their members to encourage Bill Cassidy to support RFK Jr. as Trump’s pick as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Clearly, many people are watching Bill Cassidy’s vote on this latest confirmation battle in the US Senate. Only time will tell if Big Pharma Bill sides with his donors or with the Make America Healthy Again movement.

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Nathan Koenig is a frequent contributor to RVIVR.com, a national conservative political site affiliated with The Hayride. Follow his writing on the Louisiana First Standard Substack, on Twitter (X) @LAFirstStandard, on Tik Tok @la.first.standard & on Instagram @lafirststandard. Email him here: louisianafirststandard@proton.me