The Senate confirmed former TV star and heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz Thursday in a strictly partisan vote to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he will oversee more than $1.5 trillion in federal health spending.
The 53-45 vote split perfectly along party lines, with Oz now set to oversee insurance coverage for more than 160 million Americans.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) expressed concern over Oz’s previous stances regarding transgenderism and abortion, but voted for the former GOP Senate candidate in the end on Thursday.
When reached for comment in March, an Oz spokesperson told The Daily Wire: “Dr. Oz fully understands the harms caused to minors by such procedures and is committed to implementing President Donald J. Trump’s agenda of protecting children so they can grow to live out their God-given potential.”
The statement, which comes shortly after Oz advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee by a 14-13 vote, seems to have cleared up some apprehensions about where Oz stood on the hot-button issue, which drove many voters to the polls in November.
