- The Senate voted 50-46 to confirm Robert Califf as head of the FDA, giving the agency its first permanent commissioner in 13 months. Janet Woodcock, who served as acting commissioner for more than a year, will become the FDA’s second-in-command. Senators Patrick J. Toomey and Roy Blunt, both retiring, joined four Republicans who sit on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to confirm Califf. Several Senate Democrats opposed the nomination due to his past ties to the pharmaceutical industry and handling of the opioid crisis when he previously led the FDA. (Articles here, here, here, here, here, and here)
February 16, 2022
D.C. News