GOP’s Bill Cassidy faces new decisions on bucking Trump

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) finds himself in a unique position: scorned by President Trump and out of the running for reelection, but still in charge of the highly influential Senate health committee, which can block nominees to head three health agencies currently without permanent leaders.  

The next few months could determine whether his legacy is restraining the Trump administration’s more extreme elements or ultimately ushering them in, as his detractors have accused him of when he voted to confirm Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. despite his public reservations. 

“Whether Cassidy decides to buck Trump or not, he’s responsible for putting RFK in charge of HHS and that’ll likely be his legacy in the health space,” Mairead Lynn, a former staffer for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), told The Hill. 

Cassidy lost his reelection bid this month when he failed to make it past the first GOP primary election in Louisiana, placing third behind Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming (R) and Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.). 

The longtime Louisiana physician has served in both the House and Senate since 2009. Going into this reelection bid, he was already facing strong headwinds due to being one of the Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. 

After his defeat, Cassidy issued what appeared to be a soft rebuke of Trump. 

“The American people do not expect perfection from their leaders, but they do expect seriousness. Leaders who are steady, not erratic. Thoughtful, not impulsive.” Cassidy wrote on the social media platform X. “Their words should lower the temperature rather than inflame division.”

“We desperately need those leaders today — who understand both the necessity of unity and the hard work it demands at home and abroad. Difficult though it may be to forge, it remains the........

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