President Joe Biden on Friday said he would nominate Robert Califf for a second stint as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and urged the Senate to swiftly confirm him.
Califf was confirmed for his first term by the Senate 89-4 with broad bipartisan support, though at the time he faced criticism from some Democrats, like Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who said his ties to the drug industry made him unfit to regulate it impartially.
“Dr. Califf had strong bipartisan support in the Senate in 2016, and I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm Dr. Califf so he can continue the important work being done at this critical moment,” Biden said in the White House statement.“We hope the confirmation process will proceed quickly, and we look forward to continuing to work with the FDA as we fight the pandemic and other deadly diseases,” said Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America President Steve Ubl.
“We feel he’s a qualified person who has the exact experience for this moment,” Psaki said at a briefing, adding that Manchin had ultimately voted to confirm him in 2015.If confirmed by the Senate, Califf will take over from longtime FDA veteran Janet Woodcock, who has been serving as acting commissioner. The FDA oversees everything from medicine and medical devices to food, tobacco and cosmetics.