Biden Choice To Run CMS Wins Senate Confirmation Vote
The nomination of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure was approved by 55 votes. She will run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which also oversees the children's insurance program and the insurance marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act.
AP:
Senate Confirms Brooks-LaSure To Run Health Care Programs
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Joe Biden’s pick to run U.S. health insurance programs, putting in place a key player who’ll carry out his strategy for expanding affordable coverage and reining in prescription drug costs. Obama-era policy adviser Chiquita Brooks-LaSure will be the first Black person to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, which also administers children’s health insurance and the Affordable Care Act. Together, the programs cover more than 130 million people, from newborns to nursing home residents, and play a central role in the nation’s health care system. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/25)
The Hill:
Senate Confirms Biden Pick To Lead Medicare, Medicaid Office
Her confirmation brings another Obama-era official into Biden’s administration; Brooks-LaSure served in the former president’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in implementing the Affordable Care Act. Five Republicans joined the Democrats in supporting Brooks-LaSure’s confirmation: Sens. Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Susan Collins (Maine), Jerry Moran (Kan.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). (Coleman, 5/25)
Axios:
Biden's CMS Head Confirmed, But FDA Pick Remains Elusive
But, four months in, President Biden still hasn't nominated anyone to lead the FDA. The FDA has a slew of high-profile decisions coming up, as drug companies look to expand access to their COVID-19 vaccines and a controversial Alzheimer's drug awaits an approval decision. (Reed, 5/26)
In other Biden administration news —
NBC News:
Diplomats Send Letter To State Dept. Leaders Saying 'Havana Syndrome' Sufferers Not Getting Proper Care
A group of U.S. diplomats and other government staffers suffering from symptoms consistent with "Havana Syndrome" are voicing frustration with the Biden administration's early response, and warning that injured workers are still being denied proper care. In a letter to State Department leadership obtained by NBC News, the staffers say that in recent months, the government has continued to "reject scientific evidence regarding the injuries and treatment needs" and to "invalidate our injuries and experiences," alleging that military and intelligence officials injured by the same unexplained phenomenon are being treated more seriously. (Lederman, 5/25)
The Hill:
DHS Whistleblowers Blame Trump Border Policy For Increased Child Detention
Two government whistleblowers are urging the Biden administration to end its use of a Trump-era policy that allows for swift expulsion of adults at the border due to the coronavirus. The two physicians who are experts in detention health for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) argue that Title 42 is responsible for the surge of minors in government custody, as border agents immediately turn away would-be adult migrants and asylum-seekers. (Beitsch, 5/25)
The Hill:
Abortion Fight Puts Renewed Focus On Biden's Catholicism
President Biden’s Catholic faith is a fundamental part of his identity that he has not shied from sharing with the public in his first months as president. But Biden’s support for abortion rights has put the second Catholic president in U.S. history at odds with some leaders of the Catholic Church, as well as some of its voters. That tension will be on display in the coming months, particularly as campaigning for the 2022 midterm elections begins to heat up. (Chalfant and Parnes, 5/26)
