The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote late Tuesday afternoon on whether to move forward with President Donald Trump’s pick and lead Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to the all-senate confirmation slip.
The vote follows two hearings by a committee that investigated OZ on plans for a federal healthcare program, his views on abortion, and potential conflicts of interest in the healthcare industry.
If confirmed, OZ will be responsible for approximately $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare costs. According to the Centers for Medicare Advocacy, a federal healthcare program for seniors aged 65 and over, currently covers around 65 million Americans. Medicaid, which supports low-income people, covers around 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov.
Holy skeptical of Trump’s Pick Oz: “I hope he changed his opinion.”
Dr. Mehmet Oz testifies at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on March 14, 2025 at Capitol Hill (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
The former heart surgeon, whose appearance on daytime television and his 13 seasons of “The Dr Oz Show,” later moved into politics and launched a failed bid for the Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2022.
Oz graduated from Harvard University and earned a degree in medical and business from the University of Pennsylvania.
As the CMS administrator, OZ makes decisions related to procedures within federal healthcare programs, how hospital stays, how drug therapy is covered, and the rate at which healthcare providers receive payment for services.
Dr. Oz brings back the Democrats’ attempt to portray him as a “snake oil” salesman at a Senate hearing
Dr. Mehmet Oz will greet Sen. Marsha Blackburn before a confirmation hearing of the Senate Finance Committee at Capitol Hill on March 14, 2025 (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Earlier this month, Trump’s elected Trump, who leads the NIH and FDA, Dr. Jay Batacharya and Dr. Marty McCurry, were also approved by committee, awaiting a full Senate confirmation slip.
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Around the same time Bhattacharya and McCurry were awarded the committee’s approval, Trump feared that he had withdrawn the nomination of former Florida MP David Weldon and had no GOP support to run the CDC and clear the full confirmation.
On Monday, the Trump administration named Susan Monares, acting director of the CDC, the new candidate.
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