A Senate panel on Tuesday advanced Mehmet Oz as President Trump’s pick to oversee Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health insurance programs.
The 14-13 vote by the Senate Finance Committee sends Dr. Oz’s nomination to the full Senate. The committee split along party lines, with all Republicans voting “yes” and all Democrats rejecting the nominee.
Dr. Oz, a 64-year-old surgeon, built his name and brand as a frequent guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The Dr. Oz Show” on television.
He developed a relationship with Mr. Trump during his TV years and the COVID-19 crisis. He also ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania in 2022.
Mr. Trump named Dr. Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shortly after Election Day, though the nominee must be confirmed by the Senate.
Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, Idaho Republican, said he was impressed by Dr. Oz’s resume and pledge to modernize federal health care programs and payment systems.
“Dr. Oz has years of experience as an acclaimed physician and public health advocate,” Mr. Crapo said. “His background makes him uniquely qualified to manage the intricacies of CMS.”
Also Tuesday, the Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing to scrutinize Frank Bisignano — the CEO of financial services technology company Fiserv — to lead the Social Security Administration.
Mr. Trump “has made protecting and preserving Social Security an important part of his vision,” Mr. Bisignano told senators.
Democrats said Mr. Trump and his team must prove they are committed to protecting the entitlement for seniors as billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency eye cuts to the SSA’s workforce and call centers.
“The DOGE crowd is breaking a sacred promise to deliver Americans their earned Social Security benefits, and it is time for every member of this committee to step up and commit to rolling back these disastrous actions and bringing sanity back to Social Security,” Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat, said.
Mr. Bisignano, in testimony, pledged to cut wait times and error rates for people who rely on the SSA.
CMS, meanwhile, interacts with more than 20 million people who have selected private coverage through the Obamacare portals, which offer income-based subsidies to defray premiums.
Democrats are worried that Dr. Oz will oversee a decimation of Obamacare and Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for the poor.
House Republicans might need to rely on Medicaid cuts to hit their spending targets in passing Mr. Trump’s tax-cut plan.
Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat, said he could not get a commitment from Dr. Oz to safeguard Medicaid and the Obamacare program.
“At every turn, he failed the test. When I asked him a yes or no question about whether he would protect Medicaid, he dodged and weaved and refused to answer,” Mr. Wyden said.
He also worried that Dr. Oz would favor privately run Medicare Advantage plans over the traditional Medicare program for seniors.
