Before the White House announced President Joe Biden’s nominee for Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Joe Manchin came out against him.
The West Virginia senator opposed the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to lead the FDA.
“Dr. Califf’s nomination and his significant ties to the pharmaceutical industry take us backwards, not forward,” said Manchin in a statement on Friday. “His nomination is an insult to the many families and individuals who have had their lives changed forever as a result of addiction.”
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Manchin has been an obstacle to the Biden administration on the climate and social welfare spending bill, a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, and the nomination of Neera Tanden to run the Office of Management and Budget.
The administration is trying hard to win Manchin’s decisive vote on the spending bill, cutting its top-line price tag in half in an attempt to alleviate his concerns. But the senator showed his independence from the White House yet again on Friday.
Califf, a cardiologist and medical professor at Duke University, has consulted for pharmaceutical companies and accepted funding from the industry for his research. West Virginia has also been one of the hardest-hit states in the opioid epidemic.
“I urge the Administration to nominate an FDA Commissioner that understands the gravity of the prescription drug epidemic and the role of the FDA in fighting back against the greed of the pharmaceutical industry,” Manchin added.
Biden released his own statement late Friday morning touting Califf’s credentials and urging the Senate to “swiftly confirm” the nominee as a means of fighting the pandemic.
“Dr. Robert Califf is one of the most experienced clinical trialists in the country, and has the experience and expertise to lead the Food and Drug Administration during a critical time in our nation’s fight to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic,” the statement read. “As the FDA considers many consequential decisions around vaccine approvals and more, it is mission critical that we have a steady, independent hand to guide the FDA. I am confident Dr. Califf will ensure that the FDA continues its science and data driven decision-making.”
While Manchin has consistently upset the president’s plans as the Senate’s most conservative Democrat, his opposition in this case may prove inconsequential.
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Manchin also opposed Califf’s nomination in 2016, during the last full year of Barack Obama’s run in the White House, but he was approved by a wide overall margin of 89 to 4.
