Senate Confirms Califf as F.D.A. Chief in Tight Vote

2/15/22
 
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from The New York Times,
2/15/22:

The narrow 50-46 decision underscored the divisions on both sides of the aisle over agency policies on opioids and abortion medications and his ties to the drug industry.

… the F.D.A. had gone 391 days without a permanent leader.

By contrast, Dr. Califf breezed into the commissioner role in 2016 in a vote of 89 to 4, with strong support from both sides of the aisle. Some of the headwinds he has faced since President Biden nominated him in November are from the same Democratic senators who opposed him six years ago. Back then, Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, voiced concerns about Dr. Califf’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry amid the opioid epidemic that by 2016 had already killed thousands.

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