New Surgeon General Narrowly Confirmed
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Vivek Murthy has been confirmed by the Senate in a narrow vote.
Despite opposition from the National Rifle Association and Republicans, Vivek Murthy survived the Senate confirmation process to become the nation’s new Surgeon General. The post has been vacant for over a year. Murthy’s confirmation has been a lengthy process. He was first nominated for the post in November of 2013, several months after Regina Benjamin resigned.
The vote was 51-43, thanks to Democrats and a single Republican – Mark Kirk of Illinois. Three Democrats opposed him, all coming from states were the gun lobby is particularly strong. The naysayers were Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, according to Politico.
According to CNN, President Obama said in a statement Murtha will “bring his lifetime of experience promoting public health to bear on priorities ranging from stopping new diseases to helping our kids grow up healthy and strong. Vivek will also help us build on the progress we’ve made combating Ebola, both in our country and at its source.”
USA Today adds the 37-year-old British-born, Indian-American was educated at Harvard and Yale and has both medical and business degrees. Murthy completed his residency in 2006 at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he serves as an attending physician. More than 100 health organizations – including the American College of Physicians, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association – endorsed his candidacy as Surgeon General.
Opposition came from the NRA because of Murthy’s support of stricter gun laws and past statements about guns as a public health issue. In February, the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action sent a letter to Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, arguing that Murthy’s “record of political activism in support of radical gun control measures raises significant concerns about his ability to objectively examine issues pertinent to America’s 100 million firearm owners and the likelihood he would use the office of Surgeon General to further his preexisting campaign against gun ownership.”
According to USA Today, Andrew Arulanandam of the NRA stated that “America’s next surgeon general should not be a political operative whose professional inexperience has been a source of bipartisan concern.”
Republicans also opposed Murthy as a candidate, according to Politico, not just because of his views on gun control, but also – and perhaps more significantly – pointing to his lack of experience and past political involvement. After the confirmation vote, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement, writing, “With America facing the challenge of Ebola and other serious health challenges, it’s unfortunate that the President chose a nominee based on the candidate’s political support instead of a long career delivering patient care and managing difficult health crises.”
Sen. Lamar Alexander, top Republican on the Senate Health Committee, also noted, “Unfortunately, Dr. Murthy’s experience does not demonstrate the leadership and knowledge of public health that we expect from our surgeons general.”
Murthy’s lack of experience was also noted by Democrats who voted against the confirmation, according to Politico. Heitkamp explained, “There are severe gaps in his basic qualifications that we as a country expect from our doctor of the nation – including experience in public health education training and management. Dr. Murthy is a talented individual who I have no doubt has a promising career ahead of him.”