Trump to nominate acting CDC Director Monarez to lead role; Dr. Oz vote coming

The acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be nominated to lead the agency, according to news reports.

Meanwhile, the Senate appears to be inching closer to a vote on Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, to become the new chief of the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The developments came this week when the White House confirmed to the Associated Press that President Donald Trump will nominate Susan Monarez, PhD, to transition from acting director, the post she has held since Jan. 23, to actual director.

Susan Monarez, PhD
_{© U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention}

Monarez previously worked in the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

“Prior to joining ARPA-H, Dr. Monarez led high-impact initiatives focusing on the ethical use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to support improved health outcomes, novel approaches to addressing affordability and accessibility in health care, expanding access to behavioral and mental health interventions, ending the opioid epidemic, addressing health disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, and improving the country's organ donation and transplantation programs,” according to her official biography.

Monarez also has served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and on the National Security Council. She led efforts to enhance biomedical innovation, including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding use of wearable medical devices, ensuring privacy of personal health data, and improving pandemic preparedness, her official biography said. She also has held leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Monarez will be the second nominee to the post. The president previously nominated David Weldon, MD, an internal medicine physician, for the post, but withdrew that nomination. An Army veteran who served in the House of Representatives, Weldon was critical of CDC and questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Dr. Oz nomination moving on

Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA
_{© doctoroz.com}

In the Senate, the Finance Committee on March 25 held an executive session to consider Oz’ nomination. Republican and Democratic leaders split over the qualifications of Oz, a University of Pennsylvania-trained heart surgeon who became a television personality. Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) announced the committee could vote today to forward Oz’ nomination to the full Senate.

Wyden and committee Chair Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) split over Oz.

“Dr. Oz has years of experience as an acclaimed physician and public health advocate,” Crapo said in remarks prepared for a March 25 executive session on the Oz nomination. “His background makes him uniquely qualified to manage the intricacies of CMS.

“At his hearing, Dr. Oz discussed his vision to ensure CMS provides Americans with access to superb care, especially our most vulnerable patients,” Crapo said. “I look forward to working with him, if confirmed, to accomplish this goal.

“I was also encouraged to hear that he will focus on modernizing federal health care programs, work to fix our broken clinician payment system and will partner with Congress to achieve pharmaceutical benefit manager reform,” the chair’s statement said. “There is no doubt that Dr. Oz will work tirelessly to deliver much needed change at CMS. I will be voting in favor of his nomination, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.”

Democratic leadership says no

Wyden (D-Oregon) cited Oz’ confirmation hearing, when Oz “dodged and weaved and refused to answer” about protecting Medicaid. Wyden mentioned issues ranging from experience of Oregon residents described in home-state town halls, to nursing home staffing, to Oz’ history promoting Medicare Advantage plans.

“Not only did the nominee dodge and weave during questioning at his confirmation hearing, he also failed to provide basic factual responses to my written questions submitted after his hearing,” Wyden’s statement said. “This lack of responsiveness to Congress should be unacceptable to every member of this Committee. But the Republican majority once again seems eager to disregard their own congressional oversight responsibility when Trump is calling the shots.”