The Senate narrowly confirmed President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday pushing past a thicket of political controversies that threatened to derail what was initially expected to be an easy confirmation.
The 50-46 vote means Dr. Robert Califf, a cardiologist and prominent medical researcher, will again lead the powerful regulatory agency, which he briefly headed during the end of President Barack Obama’s administration.
Califf now inherits a raft of reviews and decisions pending at the agency, which regulates several multibillion-dollar industries, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, medical devices, tobacco products and most foods. “Nothing that Dr. Califf has said or done has led me to believe he will operate the FDA any differently than he did during his previous tenure,” said Manchin, whose home state has been ravaged for decades by opioid addiction and overdoses.
In the end, six Republicans joined with all but five Democrats in voting to confirm Califf. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., advocated for Califf on the Senate floor, saying that he had not seen someone with such a short previous stint at the FDA who “accomplished anything, much less the many negatives that have been raised.”
More than a year after authorizing the first COVID-19 vaccines, the FDA still faces several key decisions, including whether to expand their use to children younger than 5. Last week the FDA unexpectedly delayed its timeline for reviewing Pfizer’s vaccine for that age group. The FDA is also crafting new regulations to ban menthol cigarettes, a long-sought goal for many Democratic lawmakers and public health advocates.
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