Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is "not a slam dunk," as President Donald Trump's nominee works to shore up support.

In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Fetterman said he has met with Kennedy twice in his office and that whatever his decision ends up being on the HHS nominee, it will be "an informed view." 

"I've invested a lot of time to really understand his background and to learn more about the man," Fetterman said, adding: "I approached with an open mind and I watched the hearing. And that's how the process works." 

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS AHEAD OF CRUCIAL CONFIRMATION VOTES

Asked if he's reached a decision on whether he'll vote "yay" or "nay" for Kennedy, Fetterman said he has spoken to colleagues on both sides regarding the matter. 

"It's been challenging for sure. Absolutely. It's certainly not a slam dunk for the nomination," Fetterman told "Fox News Sunday" host Shannon Bream. 

"I've made an investment to really understand and talk to all of the nominees, and I treated everyone with respect and I took the time to listen, and that's been part of my commitment," he added.

Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat who switched his presidential campaign against Biden to run as an Independent before ultimately dropping from the race to back Trump, made it through back-to-back grillings by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Health Committee on Thursday. He still faces crucial committee and full Senate confirmation votes in his mission to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation's food and health.

VP VANCE MAKES CONFIRMATION PREDICTIONS FOR GABBARD, PATEL AND RFK, JR: 'HAVE TO FIGHT FOR EACH ONE'

Most of the tough questions and sparring over his stances on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid and other issues came from Democrats on the two committees, but Thursday's hearing ended with the top Republican on the Health panel saying he was "struggling" with Kennedy's nomination.

"Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told the nominee.

The physician from Louisiana, who is a crucial vote and who has voiced concerns over Kennedy's past stance on vaccines, asked whether Kennedy can "be trusted to support the best public health." The senator told Kennedy, who seeks to lead key health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that "you may be hearing from me over the weekend."

Kennedy, whose outspoken views on the pharmaceutical and food industries have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.

A strong pro-life advocate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told "Fox News Sunday" that he is supporting Kennedy despite the nominee's past comments saying he supported codifying Roe v. Wade and abortion "even if it's full term."  

"I am now OK to supporting RFK Jr. because I think during the course of the hearing he's committed to a Republican pro-life agenda, President Trump's pro-life agenda," Graham said when asked about those specific past remarks from Kennedy. "So I will take him at his word. I'm comfortable with what he said on the pro-life issue. He has been radically pro-choice as a person. But I do believe that as secretary, he will implement a pro-life agenda that will be pushed by President Trump. I will be a yes, but I'll also watch every move he makes." 

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Tony Dungy is no stranger to making his political stances known, but that's about as far as he'll take it.

The former NFL coach has attended conservative rallies, including March for Life, and has been very open about his faith.

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He even criticized Democrat nominee Kamala Harris in this past election cycle for her stance on abortion rights.

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Earlier this week, a post on X surfaced that Dungy was considering a run for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat next year as a Republican.

But the rumor was unfounded, the NBC analyst said.

"Not sure where this idea came from but it didn’t come from me," Dungy said.

"I love my home state of Michigan. I pray they will elect a Senator who honors the Lord and leads the people well. But I can assure you it won’t be me."

Dungy then gave some pretty decent reasons as to why he won't run.

"Number 1, I’m not a politician and Number 2 I live in Florida."

BRETT FAVRE SAYS VIRAL CONFRONTATION WITH MARK GASTINEAU ABOUT NFL SACK RECORD WAS A 'SETUP'

Democrat senator Gary Peters will not be seeking a third term next year. He was first elected in 201 and won re-election six years later but in a much tighter race. He earned 49.9% of the vote against 48.2% by John James in 2020 after defeating Terri Lynn Land in convincing fashion, 54.6% to 41.3%.

Georgia is the other state that will have a Dem-held seat up for election in 2016, in a state won by President Donald Trump back in November. 

Republicans have not won a Michigan U.S. Senate race in over 30 years, and Peters' seat has been blue since 1972.

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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose vote cemented Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's confirmation last month, opened up about the effort to corroborate last-minute allegations against President Donald Trump's nominee.

"Anytime you have an allegation and somebody is willing to put it in sworn testimony, you owe it to the process to review it and not just dispose it out of hand," the North Carolina Republican told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

"And that's exactly what I did. And then I arrived at the conclusion that I'd support Pete's nomination"

DEMS DISMISS CALLS FOR APOLOGY AFTER JEFFRIES VOWS 'FIGHT' AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA 'IN THE STREETS'

Hegseth was confirmed after a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance, making the final margin 51-50. 

Three Republicans — senators Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted against Hegseth.

Given the Republican conference's 53-seat majority, nominees can only afford to lose three votes, assuming all Democrats are opposed and each senator is in attendance. 

ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR. ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

Tillis' decision on whether to back Hegseth was not disclosed until minutes before he cast his vote. If he became the fourth Republican to oppose Hegseth, the confirmation would have failed. 

The senator asked Hegseth several additional questions after the new allegations surfaced and the hours until his confirmation vote wound down. 

The nominee's response letter, which proved to be to Tillis' satisfaction, was shared on X by Hegseth during the vote. 

Speaking on the subject with Fox News Digital, the senator explained he had "developed a reputation for completing due diligence" and that he takes his role seriously. 

According to Tillis, he agreed to speak with Hegseth's former sister-in-law, Danielle, before she filed a sworn affidavit alleging that he made his ex-wife Samantha fear for her safety, in addition to claims of alcohol abuse.

'OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC': BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES

Danielle is not the sister of Hegseth's ex-wife. She is the former wife of his brother. 

The call between the senator and Danielle was about "what conceptually would be in the affidavit," Tillis said.

"And I said, 'If that's true, and it could be corroborated, then it would carry weight,'" Tillis recalled. 

However, he said the lack of corroboration left the allegations without credibility. 

"I could never speak directly to a person who could corroborate the testimony of one person," he said. 

After Hegseth's confirmation, it was reported that sources said Tillis had "personally assured" Danielle that if she provided the affidavit, it would be significant and might persuade Republicans to oppose the defense secretary nominee, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Asked about the report, Tillis emphasized that he gave the caveat that it must be corroborated in his conversation with Danielle. 

"Corroboration means at least two people have to be involved, and they have to be involved in the event, not a bystander. And I was unable to. I attempted to do it, but I was unable to get to that point. And, therefore, I had to make the same judgment that I did with the other allegations," he explained. 

TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED

Tillis wouldn't divulge whether Danielle or her attorney suggested she had been a witness to the alleged events. 

"I'm not going to get into those discussions because I do know that my conversation was leaked a couple of hours after I had it on Sunday. Clearly, I would have no reason to do it. But I don't leak private conversations. I don't even discuss them at any level of detail," he said.

Multiple requests for comment to Danielle's attorney, Leita Walker, from Fox News Digital went unanswered. 

President Donald Trump's choice to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins, passed a Senate cloture vote Thursday night. 

The vote was 83-13.

Collins will proceed to a full vote on the Senate floor for confirmation, which he is expected to easily secure with strong bipartisan support.

HAWAII'S HIRONO ONLY SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON COLLINS, CONTINUING PARTISAN STREAK AT HEARINGS

A former U.S. congressman, the Gainesville, Georgia, native also serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Collins was not expected to face a difficult confirmation fight and received bipartisan support in his committee hearing, the lone exception being Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, who voted against him.

If confirmed as VA secretary, Collins would oversee a beleaguered system of healthcare and benefits for the nation's veterans. 

Long wait times to see providers, lack of access to community care, inadequate mental health support and budget shortfalls are just a few of many problems that have plagued past secretaries in both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

The Senate Thursday evening advanced President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Energy to a final confirmation vote.

The vote was 62-35. 

Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy Inc., an energy industry service provider based in Colorado, was tapped by the 47th president to head the  Department of Energy under his administration.

The Trump nominee has received bipartisan support for his nomination, being introduced by a Democrat, Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, during his confirmation hearing with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this month.

The Senate held a late-night cloture vote for Wright, to end discussion over his nomination. 

FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP CABINET NOMINEE LEOFFLER PLEDGES TO DONATE SALARY TO CHARITY IF CONFIRMED

The cloture vote passed with bipartisan support, meaning Wright will advance to a final Senate vote, likely to take place on Friday.

Wright, during his confirmation hearing, said he had identified three "immediate tasks" where he would focus his attention: unleashing American energy, leading the world in innovation and technology breakthroughs and increasing production in America.

A clash on Thursday between Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Kash Patel, the nominee for FBI director, set social media ablaze when conservatives ripped into the new California senator after what they saw as a win for the Trump nominee.

Schiff, in his line of questioning at Patel’s confirmation hearing, began by asking Patel whether he stood by prior testimony that he had nothing to do with the recording of a song about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot inmates.

"[That] is interesting, because here's what you told Steve Bannon on his podcast: ‘So, what we thought would be cool is if we captured that audio and then, of course, had the greatest president, President Donald J. Trump, recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Then we went to a studio and recorded it, mastered it, digitized it, and put it out as a song.'"

KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER THE WORD ‘WE’ AND A JANUARY 6 SONG 

The two quibbled over the meaning of "we" and whether it included Patel.

"Yeah, and you’re part of that ‘we’ — right — when you say ‘we,’ that includes you, Mr. Patel," Schiff said.

"Not in every instance." Patel said, adding he had not personally participated in the recording or mastering of the single.

Schiff responded, "Well, that's new. So, when you said ‘we,' you didn't really mean you. Is that your testimony?"

"Not unless you have a new definition for the word ‘we,'" Patel said.

In Thursday’s hearing, however, Patel said he was using the word "we" appropriately, while Schiff said he had "promoted the hell out of it," referencing the inmates’ single.

"I don't know what that means, but I promoted the heck out of raising money for families in need," Patel shot back.

In another exchange, Schiff asked Patel if an FBI director promoted a song about people who sprayed pepper spray in the face of an FBI agent, "would you say they were fit to be director?"

"I am fit to be the director of the FBI," Patel said.

Supporters of the Trump administration hammered Schiff and praised Patel over the exchanges.

MAJOR CHANGES PATEL COULD MAKE ON DAY 1 AT FBI

"California’s Senator @SenAdamSchiff screams and screeches about the January 6th choir during Kash’s confirmation - and completely misses an opportunity to represent commonsense Californians," former DNI Director Richard Grenell posted on X. "We want representatives who don’t lie. Who don’t miss the big picture. Schiff is partisan and petty."

National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker said "any committee that [Sen. Mazie] Hirono, Schiff or [Sen. Sheldon] Whitehouse is on is one where Democrats completely lose all credibility."

"I honestly thought Bernie Sanders yelling at RFK Jr. about onesies was going to be the craziest thing from the hearings this week," Daily Signal columnist Tony Kinnett said. "Then I watched Adam Schiff yelling at Kash Patel for 5 minutes about song remixes. Good Lord."

"Schiff can’t be trusted to serve on committees," Judicial Watch Chairman Tom Fitton said.

Schiff argued he had won the exchange.

"Kash Patel raised money for January 6 insurrectionists who attacked law enforcement. I asked him to look those officers in the eye and tell them he was proud of what he did. He couldn't," Schiff wrote on X.

It was one of a number of fiery exchanges during the hearing. Democrats quizzed Patel about his record, including statements he had made in his book, "Government Gangsters."

Patel slammed what he described as "grotesque" attacks against him.

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"If the best attacks on me are going to be false accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations, the only thing this body is doing is defeating the credibility of the men and women at the FBI," he said.

"I stood with them here in this country, in every theater of war we have. I was on the ground in service of this nation. And any accusations leveled against me that I would somehow put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair."

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, pledged Thursday to work with a top Republican senator on exposing who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in trafficking and exploiting children.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., quizzed Patel about how he would handle the Epstein case. The sex-trafficking financier died in 2019 while awaiting trial. Nearly 200 names that had previously been redacted from court documents in a lawsuit against his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell were made public last year.

However, Blackburn said there is still more to be known, including the names of those who flew on his plane and accomplices.

KASH PATEL FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER BEING GRILLED ON J6 PARDONS: ‘BRUTAL REALITY CHECK’ 

"I want to talk to you about the Epstein case. I have worked on this for years trying to get those records of who flew on Epstein's plane and who helped him build this international human trafficking sex trafficking ring," she said.

She used her remarks to take a jab at former Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin.

"Now, earlier, I urged then Chairman Durbin to subpoena those records, and I ended up being blocked by Senator Durbin and Christopher Wray. They stonewalled on this," she said. "And I know that breaking up these trafficking rings is important to President Trump. So will you work with me on this issue? So we know who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in building these sex trafficking rings?" she asked.

KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING 

"Absolutely, Senator," Patel responded. "Child sex trafficking has no place in the United States of America. And I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to counterman missing children and exploited children going forward," he said.

Following the exchange between Blackburn and Patel, Durbin requested to respond to Blackburn's jab at him and accused the Tennessee senator of "falsely" accusing him "of preventing releasing the names of Jeffrey Epstein's network."

"My office subsequently reached out to hers to try to identify what records she was actually seeking. We did not receive a response," he added.

Blackburn fired back and said she had "raised the issue with Chairman Durbin. I had raised it on the floor that we wanted to get these records… You sought not to recognize me."

Patel's nomination has sparked early criticism from some Democrats ahead of his confirmation hearing, who have cited his previous vows to prosecute journalists and career officials at the Justice Department and FBI that he sees as being part of the "deep state."

Democrats had pointed to Patel’s record and a book, "Government Gangsters," released in 2023 that claimed that "deep state" government employees have politicized and weaponized the law enforcement agency – and explicitly called for the revamp of the FBI in a chapter dubbed "Overhauling the FBI."

Fox News' Emma Colton and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

Kansas’ entire congressional delegation is vowing to find answers for the families grieving loved ones after the deadly crash of a flight from Wichita to Washington D.C., which officials have said left no survivors.

A Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines PSA commercial jet that was moments from landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, temporarily halting all flights in and out of the small but critically located airport.

"Our prayers are with the families and friends of those affected by the tragic plane crash that occurred in our nation’s capital. South Central Kansas is a close community, and it's likely that many of us directly or indirectly know people who were on Flight 5342 on Jan. 29," the lawmakers’ joint written statement said.

VIDEO SHOWS DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT, BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER

"This is a sad day for Kansans and our nation, and this community, steeped in aviation and manufacturing history, will feel the pain of this catastrophe for years to come. We are grateful for the first responders and rescue crews who worked through the night.

"Our focus now is supporting the family and friends of those who perished, including the crew and military personnel, and then getting answers for the grieving individuals who have lost a loved one and making sure this doesn't happen again."

It was signed by GOP Kansas senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, as well as Republican House representatives Ron Estes, Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt and the delegation’s lone Democrat, Sharice Davids.

Estes represents much of Wichita, where the flight originated.

Moran said in a press conference shortly after midnight Thursday he was familiar with the flight route, having lobbied American Airlines for it to begin last year.

President Donald Trump briefed reporters on the crisis earlier Thursday, saying there were no survivors from the crash.

Members of Trump’s new Cabinet, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, both promised to find swift answers for the families grieving loved ones after the crash.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents Arlington County, where the airport is located, similarly said he would work toward accountability.

"As the local representative, I want the families to know that our office is available to serve you in any way that we possibly can in this time of grief and transition and loss," Beyer said at another press conference Thursday morning.

AMERICAN AIRLINES CEO EXPRESSES 'DEEP SORROW' AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

"And then, also, I’d just note that we are deeply grateful for the people who risked their lives last night on a moment’s notice and spent the whole night on the river in the ice and the wind, serving us."

Beyer added that, through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) probe into the crash, "we’ve got to make sure that, at the federal level and with the support of Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., we’re doing everything we can to make sure that this does not happen again."

American Airlines has said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane, and the airline encouraged any loved ones looking for information to call the numbers on its site.

U.S. officials are investigating why the Black Hawk helicopter flew into the path of the descending plane, Duffy told reporters.

"I would say the helicopter was aware there was a plane in the area," he said.

Hegseth said the helicopter was manned by an experienced crew and was undergoing an "annual proficiency training flight."

Duffy told reporters that while the collision was a highly unusual and tragic event, the two aircraft's mutual patterns were not atypical.

Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll questioned whether Army helicopters should be flying training missions in one of the nation’s most congested flight paths after Wednesday's tragic Washington, D.C.-area collision.

"It’s an accident that seems to be preventable," Driscoll, an Army veteran, said during a Thursday confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"There are appropriate times to take risk and inappropriate times to take risk," he said. "I think we need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be at an airport like Reagan." 

Sixty-four people were aboard the American Airlines flight inbound from Wichita, Kan., which collided with an Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter just before it was set to touch down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Authorities do not believe anyone survived. 

BLACK HAWK CHOPPER UNIT WAS ON ANNUAL PROFICIENCY TRAINING FLIGHT, HEGSETH SAYS

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the three soldiers who were aboard the chopper were a "fairly experienced crew" doing a "required annual night evaluation." 

"We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident," he said. 

In a blunt Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called the crash "a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented."

AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER SAYS HE WAS BARRED FROM FLIGHT THAT COLLIDED WITH ARMY HELICOPTER

"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time," Trump wrote. "It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane."

Ronald Reagan Washington National, an airport owned by the federal government, has been the subject of debate for years. It has one of the shortest runways in the industry, yet Congress approved additional flight slots in 2024 as part of its Federal Aviation Administration bill. The flight from Wichita, Kan., had just been added in 2024. 

The airport faces complicated aviation logistics near hyperprotected airspace near the Pentagon, White House and Capitol, but lawmakers have pushed to keep it open due to the convenience of its proximity to D.C. 

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"We’re gonna have to work together to make sure that never happens again," Driscoll said in his Thursday confirmation hearing, promising to take a hard look at what training was needed, particularly amid the Army's increased use of its vertical lift aircraft. 

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight, according to air traffic control audio. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, saying "PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ" — apparently telling the chopper to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. There was no reply, according to the audio. Seconds after that, the aircraft collided.

Military helicopters regularly cross over the D.C.-area airport's flight paths to ferry senior government officials over the Potomac River into D.C. No senior officials were on board the downed Black Hawk, according to the Army. 

Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Senate is set for a Thursday confirmation vote for President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. 

The upper chamber voted to advance Burgum’s nomination to a confirmation vote on Wednesday by a 78–20 margin. 

Burgum appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in mid-January, where he told lawmakers that national security issues and the economy were his top two priorities for leading the agency. 

BURGUM GRILLED ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES TARGETED BY TRUMP DURING CONFIRMATION HEARING: ‘DRILL, BABY, DRILL’

"When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn't reduce demand," Burgum said in his opening statement Jan. 16. "It just shifts production to countries like Russia and Iran, whose autocratic leaders not only don't care at all about the environment, but they use their revenues from energy sales to fund wars against us and our allies."

Lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, questioned Burgum on whether he would seek to drill for oil in national parks if Trump asked him to.

"As part of my sworn duty, I'll follow the law and follow the Constitution. And so you can count on that," Burgum said. "And I have not heard of anything about President Trump wanting to do anything other than advancing energy production for the benefit of the American people."

ZELDIN GRILLED BY DEMOCRATS ON CLIMATE CHANGE, TRUMP'S STANCE ON CARBON EMISSIONS DURING EPA HEARING 

Burgum served as governor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2024. He also launched a presidential bid for the 2024 election in June 2023, where energy and natural resources served as key issues during his campaign.

Burgum appeared during the first two Republican presidential debates, but didn’t qualify for the third and ended his campaign in December 2023. He then endorsed Trump for the GOP nomination a month later ahead of the Iowa caucuses.

Aubrie Spady, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.