BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Sen. Bill Cassidy has emerged as a central figure in the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose nomination to health and human services secretary poses an equally consequential moment for the second-term Republican facing an uncertain political future in Louisiana.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. goes before two two U.S. Senate hearings in his quest to head the nation's health department. Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor, sits on both.

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy will be at the center of the first hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s controversial Health and Human Services Secretary nomination.