The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on March 13 voted to advance the nominations of Jayanta Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, to be director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Martin Makary, MD, MPH, to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by votes of 12-11 and 14-9, respectively.
Before the vote, HELP Chair Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) shared remarks in support of the nominations and stated that if confirmed “Dr. Bhattacharya committed to promoting free and open debate at the agency, allowing all viewpoints to find the best outcome for Americans’ health. He also discussed modernizing NIH, empowering scientists to find the next lifesaving medical breakthrough.” On Makary, Cassidy stated that the nominee “committed to promoting medical innovation while upholding FDA’s gold standard of review, so Americans can benefit from the latest lifesaving medicines and devices. He emphasized the need to address obesity and chronic disease, in collaboration with other administration officials.”
While the vote to advance Bhattacharya was along party lines, Makary received votes from committee democrats including Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).
The nominations will now advance to the Senate floor for a final vote that is to be determined.