AIHELP Committee votes to advance Bhattacharya for NIH and Makary for FDA

Title

HELP Committee votes to advance Bhattacharya for NIH and Makary for FDA

Purpose

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee met to hold a business meeting on the nominations of Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya to be Director of the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Martin Makary to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs, along with other pending calendar business. Chair Cassidy and Sen. Sanders gave opening statements before the committee voted to favorably report both nominations to the full Senate. Begins at▶ 0:24:20

Who spoke

• Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA)▶ 0:24:20: Opened the meeting noting Republicans were one vote short and asked members to remain until Sen. Murkowski arrived▶ 0:24:20; cited the measles outbreak and eroded public trust in health institutions as reasons for needing new leadership▶ 0:24:47; said both nominees committed to transparency and unbiased science▶ 0:25:15, and later presided over roll-call votes on both nominations▶ 0:31:34▶ 0:33:15.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member▶ 0:26:27: Announced he would vote against both nominees▶ 0:26:27; said the NIH's $48 billion budget makes it the world's largest funder of medical research but that Americans often pay 10 times more than Canadians for the same drugs▶ 0:26:59; cited a 2023 committee report finding the average price of NIH-linked new treatments is $111,000▶ 0:27:54; said the FDA's mission to make products "safe and affordable" is undermined when tens of millions can't afford treatments▶ 0:28:56.

• Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)▶ 0:29:45: Said he was alarmed to learn Dr. Makary had selected as FDA chief counsel a Biden-administration attorney who had argued for the mifepristone rules and vaccine mandates without religious exceptions▶ 0:30:06; said the attorney resigned that morning and Makary withdrew his support, giving him confidence to vote yes▶ 0:31:06.

Key moments

• Cassidy said the committee was one vote short of a quorum among Republicans and asked members to stay until Sen. Murkowski arrived, joking others were "free to leave at any time"▶ 0:24:20.

• Cassidy linked the nominations to a measles outbreak that had "claimed at least one life, maybe two" and hospitalized others, including one child, from a vaccine-preventable disease▶ 0:24:47.

• Sanders cited a 2023 HELP Committee report finding the average price of new treatments NIH scientists helped invent over 20 years is $111,000 per treatment▶ 0:27:54.

• Sanders said Americans pay "sometimes 10 times more" for the same drugs as people in Canada and other countries▶ 0:26:59.

• Hawley revealed Dr. Makary had elevated a Biden-administration attorney—who had argued for mifepristone restrictions and vaccine mandates without religious exceptions—to FDA chief counsel, but that the attorney resigned the morning of the meeting, prompting Hawley's yes vote▶ 0:29:45▶ 0:31:06.

• On the Bhattacharya nomination, the committee vote was announced as 13 ayes to 9 nays before Sen. Murkowski's vote was added, finalizing it at 12 ayes to 11 nays; the nomination was agreed to and favorably reported▶ 0:34:18▶ 0:35:48▶ 0:36:00.

• On the Makary nomination, after Murkowski's vote the final tally was 14 ayes to 9 nays, and the nomination was agreed to and favorably reported to the Senate▶ 0:36:12.