A job that's been open in President Obama's administration since July of 2013 was finally filled Monday, as the Senate voted to confirm Vivek Murthy as America's new surgeon general.
The tally was 51-43, ending a confirmation process that began after Obama nominated Murthy to the post in November of 2013 — yes, that's one year ago.
"Dr. Vivek Murthy is an MD and an MBA," NPR's Tamara Keith reported in March. "He practices and teaches at Brigham and Women's Hospital and teaches at Harvard Medical School. He co-founded a clinical trials company, an HIV education organization and Doctors for America, formerly known as Doctors for Obama. And he isn't even 40 yet."
But the National Rifle Association was unhappy with the choice of Murthy, citing tweets he had written that said guns present a health-care issue.
"The NRA told lawmakers a vote for Murthy would be scored against them," Keith reported. "It seems the fact that question could even be asked was enough to put Murthy's nomination on ice."
No comments:
Post a Comment