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On Tuesday, Robert Califf was confirmed as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner in a 50-46 Senate vote in which 6 Republicans supported him, and 5 Democrats voted against his confirmation.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota voted “present,” in what is called a “live pair” with Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, who is absent from the chamber while recovering from a stroke.
“Senator Lujan is not able to vote, and in this Senate, on a bipartisan basis, we still try to work back and forth,” Rounds told CNN. “I am a no on this vote. He would have been a yes. For me, it was an opportunity to maintain the same vote outcome, but to recognize the illness that one of our members has.”
Califf had previously led the FDA from February 2016 until January 2017, but his path to retake the commissioner’s seat has been met with opposition since his nomination by President Joe Biden last fall.
As recently as last Friday, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) authored an opinion column calling on Biden to withdraw Califf’s nomination. Manchin castigated Califf’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA’s approval of 5 new opioids during his previous tenure as commissioner.
Manchin’s vote against Califf was joined by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut; Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire; Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts; and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.
Califf’s nomination also drew opposition from some on the other side of the aisle, as antiabortion advocates scrutinized his record on easing access to abortion medications. However, 6 Republican senators voted to confirm Califf’s nomination: Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
The FDA has lacked a permanent, Senate-confirmed commissioner since Stephen Hahn, MD, left the role on President Donald Trump’s last day in office. Janet Woodcock, MD, had been acting as commissioner for more than a year.
Woodcock announced minutes after Califf was confirmed that she had accepted a position as the agency’s second in command, known as principal deputy commissioner.
“I’m pleased to say that I will be transitioning to the position of Principal Deputy, where I can both continue to work on so many of the issues and challenges we face and to provide ongoing support to the new Commissioner. I look forward to continuing to work in this capacity,” Woodcock tweeted.
I’m pleased to say that I will be transitioning to the position of Principal Deputy, where I can both continue to work on so many of the issues and challenges we face and to provide ongoing support to the new Commissioner. I look forward to continuing to work in this capacity.
— Dr. Janet Woodcock (@DrWoodcockFDA) February 15, 2022
