Four Senate Republicans bailed out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Monday by voting to advance the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf as the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Senate voted to invoke cloture, or limit debate, to advance the confirmation of the head of the FDA for a second time.
The chamber invoked cloture 49-45 after Republicans gave Democrats enough votes to advance the Biden nominee’s confirmation.
Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) voted in favor of advancing Califf’s nomination.
Califf’s nomination was controversial enough for many Democrats that Senate Democrats across the political spectrum voted against Califf, including Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Ed Markey (D-MA).
Manchin said, regarding Califf, “That man is horrible.”
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) and Manchin wrote an op-ed Monday, urging Biden to withdraw Califf’s nomination to lead the FDA. They said Califf has failed to address the opioid crisis and has strong ties to the pharmaceutical industry.