Seeking To Save Nomination To Head FDA, Califf Takes ‘Ethics Pledge’

Stat: More Democrats Flag ‘Questions’ About Biden’s FDA Pick Califf 
Nearly a dozen Democratic senators aren’t yet willing to publicly support President Biden’s Food and Drug Administration pick, Robert Califf, despite his sailing through a key health committee vote earlier this month. It’s a surprising level of uncertainty for Califf, who earned almost unanimous support when he was confirmed to lead the same agency in 2016. And it’s surprising, too, given the power that the FDA has to shape the response to the Covid-19 pandemic — a response for which Biden is increasingly being criticized. The FDA, which is responsible for evaluating the safety of Covid-19 tests, vaccines, and therapeutics, has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for more than a year. (Florko and Cohrs, 2/1)

Politico: Biden’s FDA Pick Makes Major Ethics Pledges To Win Over Elizabeth Warren 
President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration is making major ethics concessions to Sen. Elizabeth Warren as he tries to lock down critical confirmation votes. Robert Califf, who was first nominated more than two months ago, is agreeing to not seek employment or compensation from any pharmaceutical or medical device company that he interacts with “for four years” following his time in government, according to a letter he sent to the Massachusetts Democrat and obtained by POLITICO. (Barron-Lopez and Cancryn, 1/31)

Meanwhile, White House officials are reportedly unhappy with Heath and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra —

The Washington Post: White House Frustrations Grow Over Health Chief Becerra’s Handling Of Pandemic
White House officials have grown so frustrated with top health official Xavier Becerra as the pandemic rages on that they have openly mused about who might be better in the job, although political considerations have stopped them from taking steps to replace him, officials involved in the discussions said. ... dissatisfaction has escalated in recent months as the omicron variant has sickened millions of Americans in a fifth pandemic wave amid confusing and sometimes conflicting messages from top health officials that brought scrutiny to Biden’s strategy, according to three senior administration officials and two outside advisers with direct knowledge of the conversations. (Diamond, Abutaleb and Pager, 1/31)

And in news from the EPA —

AP: EPA Restores Rule To Limit Power-Plant Mercury Emissions
In yet another reversal of a Trump-era action, the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it will resume enforcement of a rule that limits power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous pollutants. The EPA action restores a 2012 rule imposed under President Barack Obama that was credited with curbing mercury’s devastating neurological damage to children and prevented thousands of premature deaths while reducing the risk of heart attacks and cancer, among other public health benefits. (Daly, 1/31)

The Wall Street Journal: EPA Moves To Restore Obama-Era Rules On Power Plants
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday moved to restore a federal determination that allowed it to regulate mercury, lead and other toxic metals from coal-fired and oil-fired power plants. Under the Obama administration, the EPA said it had the authority to regulate emissions of mercury and other toxic metals from power plant emissions under the Clean Air Act as long as EPA officials determined it was “appropriate and necessary. ”In 2020, the Trump administration withdrew that determination, saying that regulators made errors when calculating the costs and benefits of the rules. (Stech Ferek, 1/31)

In other news from the Biden administration —

The Hill: Biden To Relaunch 'Cancer Moonshot' Effort At Wednesday Event
President Biden on Wednesday will host a relaunch of the "cancer moonshot" project he oversaw during the Obama administration. Biden will be joined by Vice President Harris and first lady Jill Biden for the event at the White House. Additional details were not immediately available. (Samuels, 1/31)

Bloomberg: Biden White House Appoints Czar To Tackle Homelessness
The White House has named a point person in the Biden administration’s efforts to reverse the alarming rise of homelessness across the U.S. Jeff Olivet will serve as the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, an office that coordinates the work of 19 federal agencies to address the housing crisis. Olivet is the cofounder of an anti-racist consultancy, Racial Equity Partners. He is also the former chief executive officer of the Center for Social Innovation (now C4 Innovations), a company that provides training and technical guidance for housing groups and social providers to confront racism and other systemic issues. Olivet has experience working directly with homeless people as a street outreach worker, case manager and housing coordinator. (Capps, 1/31)