Brenda Fitzgerald, Director of the Centers for Disease Control, resigned from her position earlier today because of financial conflicts.
Category: Health/Medical
Azar Sworn In as HHS Secretary
Earlier today, Alex Azar was sworn in as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. He was confirmed by the Senate last week.
Azar Confirmed
Alex Azar was confirmed by the Senate earlier this afternoon as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services by a vote of 55 – 43.
Senate to Take Up HHS Nomination
The full Senate is scheduled to take up today the nomination of Alex Azar to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Azar is not a new-comer to the HHS as he served as Deputy Secretary during the George W. Bush Administration. He has recently been an executive at the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co.
HHS funds and oversees a host of health-related and biomedical agencies and research programs. The National Institutes of Health is part of HHS.
Azar was nominated to replace former Secretary Tom Price, who resigned last year.
Monday Noon
The Senate has scheduled a vote on a CR to reopen the government for Monday at noon. The CR will reportedly be the same as the previous CR, funding CHIP and eliminating the Cadillac tax, but it will not address DACA or Dreamers. To clarify, negotiations remain ongoing, and this is not a deal. Rather, it is the same bill passed by the House that failed to gain cloture in the Senate with a different date — February 9 vs. February 16.
Stay tuned.