The Senate voted 55-44 to confirm Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator on May 25, with five Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the nomination. The vote followed a Senate Finance Committee vote on April 22 [refer to Washington Highlights, April 23].
The AAMC supported the nomination of Brooks-LaSure in a Feb. 19 statement from AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD. He stated that Brooks-LaSure “has been a strong, persistent, and effective voice in support of increasing patient access to vital health care, and her detailed understanding of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as her commitment to health equity, makes her a welcome partner in academic medicine’s work to improve the health of people everywhere.”
The Senate also confirmed Eric Lander, PhD, to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) by voice vote on May 28. Lander’s confirmation as the first life scientist to serve as OSTP director and the first OSTP director to serve in a Cabinet-level position followed a Senate Commerce Committee vote on May 20 [refer to Washington Highlights, May 21].