Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is calling for “extensive committee investigations” into President-elect Donald Trump’s appointees to oversee health agencies.
Last week, Trump nominated lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Former congressman and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is the current head of the agency.
Collins was the only Republican senator to confirm his appointment in a 50 to 49 vote in March 2021.
HHS encompasses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, and the National Institutes of Health, among other organizations.
On Tuesday, Trump also announced that Dr. Mehmet Oz is his pick to head up the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.
Very excited that my friend @DrOz has agreed to run CMS. Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this outstanding nomination. Welcome Dr. Oz to The Avengers. Let’s Make America Healthy Again! https://t.co/jjQoqoiZuC pic.twitter.com/e7CSkh5kem
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) November 19, 2024
Collins told Axios that the Senate’s constitutional “advice and consent” duty for Trump’s appointees “means a background check, it means extensive committee investigations and questionnaires and public hearings.”
The moderate GOP