Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sen. Murray Questions CDC Chief's Ability To Perform Role Due To Financial Conflicts
The Washington Post: New CDC Head Faces Questions About Financial Conflicts Of Interest
After five months in office, President Trump’s new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been unable to divest financial holdings that pose potential conflicts of interest, hindering her ability to fully perform her job. Brenda Fitzgerald, 71, who served as the Georgia public health commissioner until her appointment to the CDC post in July, said she has divested from many stock holdings. But she and her husband are legally obligated to maintain other investments in cancer detection and health information technology, according to her ethics agreement, requiring Fitzgerald to pledge to avoid government business that might affect those interests. Fitzgerald provided The Post with a copy of her agreement. (Sun and Crites, 12/11)
The Hill: Leading Dem: CDC Director's Financial Investments Pose Conflict Of Interest
The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has had to recuse herself from involvement in significant health issues because her investments might pose a conflict of interest, says Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) Murray, ranking Democrat of the Senate Health Committee, wrote in a letter to CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald that her remaining investments prevent her from engaging in matters relating to cancer and the opioid crisis. (Hellmann, 12/11)
CQ HealthBeat: Top Health Democrat Wants CDC Director to Clear Up Conflicts
Murray and her staff obtained copies of Fitzgerald’s government ethics agreement and financial disclosure form, which are not publicly available because the CDC director is not a Senate-confirmed position. Fitzgerald apparently is “unable to divest from certain investments,” according to a letter from Murray released Monday. “In order to ensure the CDC is led by an individual who can engage on all issues under its purview, it is imperative that you resolve the issues that are currently limiting your ability to divest from these holdings,” Murray wrote. She asked Fitzgerald to make her ethics agreement public and brief the committee on her recusals. (Siddons, 12/11)
