Obamacare architect Ezekiel Emanuel shortlisted for FDA chief: report
Biden FDA commissioner nominee could face Senate hurdles
Former health advisor to Barrack Obama and architect of Obamacare Ezekiel Emanuel, has been pitched for the role of commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration, reports said Friday.
Emanuel served on President Biden’s COVID-19 transition advisory board following his November 2020 win and has become an ally for the administration, first reported Politico.
The University of Pennsylvania bioethicist has not yet been approached for the job but is one of several contenders, officials with knowledge of the process told the publication.
BIDEN CORONAVIRUS ADVISER DR. ZEKE EMANUEL ONCE ARGUED IT'S NOT WORTH LIVING PAST 75
Filling the top job with the FDA has become increasingly important as the country awaits the federal stamp of approval for the coronavirus vaccine.
President Biden said the FDA is hoping to secure approval for the vaccine by the fall, though whether the president will be able to secure an FDA commissioner by then remains questionable.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has blocked dozens of the president’s nominees to top jobs in protest of Biden’s sanction reversal on the Russia-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
US, GERMANY THREATEN RUSSIA WITH SANCTIONS IF NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE IS USED AS A 'WEAPON'
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
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| BP | BP PLC | 38.70 | +0.03 | +0.08% |
| XOM | EXXON MOBIL CORP. | 116.02 | -0.21 | -0.18% |
| SHLX | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
Several of the nominees he has prevented from entering into the Senate confirmation process are not related to policies affecting the pipeline.
But Cruz has shown no sign of removing his barriers until Biden reinstates sanctions.
"I'm leveraging and holding the Biden administration's nominees to get the admin to impose sanctions mandated by Congress to stop Biden's multi-billion dollar gift to Putin, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline," Cruz said in a tweet last month.
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Administration officials have not given any hints at when they may be considering announcing Biden’s nominee to lead the FDA but told the publication they have "strong acting leadership in place" who play an "important role in our COVID-19 response."
The White House declined to answer Fox News’ questions but said their statement to Politico "speaks to where we’re actually at."