Joe Manchin Comes out Against Biden's FDA Pick

Joshua CaplanNovember 12, 2021

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Friday came out against President Joe Biden’s nominee for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, citing his poor handling of the opioid epidemic.

“Dr. Califf’s nomination and his significant ties to the pharmaceutical industry take us backwards not forward,” Manchin said in a statement. “His nomination is an insult to the many families and individuals who have had their lives changed forever as a result of addiction.”

My statement on the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to serve as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner: pic.twitter.com/vuhcx3Kcs7

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) November 12, 2021

“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,” the senator added.

This isn’t the first time that Manchin opposed Califf. The West Virginia lawmaker was one of four senators who voted against the cardiologist, who received pharmaceutical industry funding when President Barack Obama nominated him in 2015. He was confirmed by the Senate in February 2016 and served until January 20, 2017.

Earlier Friday, Biden announced Califf as his FDA pick, saying that he “had strong bipartisan support in the Senate in 2016.”

“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 president said. “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.”