HHS Nominee To Be Grilled At Senate Hearing About Pharma Ties, Any Plans To Cut Medicare
Alex Azar, however, enjoys strong support from Republicans on the Finance Committee, so it's unlikely the hearing will damage his path to confirmation.
The Washington Post:
Senate Finance Committee To Evaluate Alex Azar To Be The Next HHS Secretary
Alex Azar, the White House’s choice to become the second health and human services secretary in less than a year, will appear for his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, giving Democrats a chance to probe his drug industry ties but not halt his path toward joining the president’s Cabinet. The 10 a.m. hearing before the Senate Finance Committee will give Azar’s Democratic critics a forum to contend that his role in helping to approve rising pharmaceutical prices while a top executive of Eli Lilly means he is ill-suited to carry out President Trump’s stated goal of making medicines more affordable. (Goldstein and Eilperin, 1/8)
The Hill:
House Dems Sound Alarm About Trump Health Nominee
A group of House Democrats want the Senate Finance Committee to question President Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary about high drug prices at his former employer, Eli Lilly. In a letter to Finance Committee leaders, led by Texas Reps. Beto O'Rourke and Lloyd Doggett, the Democrats said Alex Azar should also be pressed on his commitment to uphold the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare. (Weixel, 1/8)
Politico:
HHS Nominee's Mission Is To Finish The Job On Obamacare
President Donald Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary is on the verge of taking control of the department with a clear mandate: Take down Obamacare from the inside. With Republicans stalled on repeal, the GOP is looking to Alex Azar to put a conservative stamp on the health care system through shrewd rulemaking and the use of expansive regulatory powers — and all without the help of a Congress that’s failed to scrap the 2010 health care law. (Cancryn, 1/9)