The Senate, on March 25, voted to confirm Jayanta Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, to be the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Martin Makary, MD, MPH, to be the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Senate voted along party lines to confirm Bhattacharya and voted 56-44 to confirm Makary, with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) voting with all Senate Republicans. Bhattacharya’s and Makary’s nomination advanced to the full Senate for consideration on March 13 [refer to Washington Highlights, March 14].
Following the vote, Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, issued a statement saying “The NIH needs a leader that will restore Americans’ trust in public health institutions and find unbiased solutions to Americans’ most challenging health problems. … Dr. Bhattacharya is ready to take on this responsibility and implement President Trump’s vision to Make America Healthy Again.” Additionally, following Makary’s confirmation, Cassidy stated “Dr. Makary’s medical background and strong vision make him more than qualified to lead the FDA. … I look forward to working with him to achieve President Trump’s objective of Making America Healthy Again.”
- Washington Highlights