{"id":1430,"date":"2024-12-27T03:40:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T03:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/?p=1430"},"modified":"2024-12-27T03:40:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T03:40:54","slug":"trump-names-cms-cdc-fda-surgeon-general-nominees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/27\/trump-names-cms-cdc-fda-surgeon-general-nominees\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Names CMS, CDC, FDA, Surgeon General Nominees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump Names CMS, CDC, FDA, Surgeon General Nominees \u2013 <\/strong>President-elect Donald Trump named several additional nominations for key health-related administration positions last week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mehmet Oz, M.D.,<\/strong> the celebrity physician and TV personality known as Dr. Oz, was selected to serve as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Oz is a well-known supporter of alternative and unconventional remedies and holistic care.\u00a0 As an informal health advisor to President Trump during his first term in office, Oz supported unproven COVID-19 therapies, including the use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19. Oz\u2019s experience as a physician and cardiothoracic surgeon has been highlighted as a potential strength for the role of CMS Administrator. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), who also serves on the Senate Finance Committee, expressed support for Oz\u2019s nomination on X, stating \u201cIt has been over a decade since a physician has been at the helm of CMS, and I look forward to discussing his priorities. This is a great opportunity to help patients and implement conservative health reforms.\u201d Oz unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022, losing to now-Sen. John Fetterman (D). While most Democrats on Capitol Hill have raised concerns about Oz\u2019s lack of government experience and endorsement of questionable health supplements, Fetterman stated that he would support his previous opponent if Oz \u201cis about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid.\u201d Oz supports expansion of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, having proposed a \u201cMedicare Advantage for All\u201d plan funded by a 20% payroll tax during his campaign for Senate. Oz co-founded a digital health company, Sharecare, in 2010, and has since called for making COVID-19-era telehealth flexibilities permanent. Oz\u2019s nomination will be voted on by the Senate Finance Committee. Incoming Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) has praised Oz \u201cfor providing consumers with the necessary information to make their own health care decisions,\u201d while current Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has already stated his plans to question Oz about MA plans\u2019 use of prior authorization.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trump has nominated former Congressman Dave Weldon, M.D.<\/strong> as the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Weldon is a board-certified internist who served in the House of Representatives from 1995 through 2009. He is currently a professor of biomedical engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. Weldon\u2019s medical career has focused on the management of hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, cancer screening, preventive care, and general illnesses of the elderly. In the House, Weldon sponsored a provision known as the \u201cWeldon Amendment,\u201d which prevents federal funds from being made available to Federal agencies and programs, and State and local governments, that \u201csubject any institutional or individual health care entity to discrimination\u201d on the basis of not providing, paying for, providing coverage of, or referring for abortions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marty Makary, M.D.<\/strong> has been tapped to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Makary is a Johns Hopkins professor and surgeon. He is also a health policy researcher and adviser at the Paragon Health Institute. Makary\u2019s work has focused on the high costs and overtreatment present in the U.S. health care system. He has been a frequent critic of many aspects of the nation\u2019s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including COVID vaccine use in children.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trump also tapped Janette Nesheiwat, M.D.<\/strong> to serve as the next Surgeon General. Nesheiwat is a Fox News medical contributor and the medical director at CityMD, a group of urgent care centers in New York. She is board certified in family\/emergency medicine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

House Democratic Leadership Elections \u2013 <\/strong>Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives will remain largely unchanged next Congress after caucus-wide elections last week. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Vice Chair Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), and Assistant Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) will continue to serve in their current positions during the 119th<\/sup> Congress. The remaining results of the House Democratic leadership elections are as follows:<\/p>\n