Washington — On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former heart surgeon and television personality, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Trump.
The panel cast a 14 to 13 vote along party lines to move Oz’s nomination forward, which will now go to the full Senate.
Oz appeared before the committee earlier this month. If confirmed, the 64-year-old would oversee the federal government’s nearly $1.5 trillion expenditure on Medicare and Medicaid—health insurance programs that significantly impact the national budget and have frequently been used as political tools.
Oz is widely recognized as the host of “The Dr. Oz Show” and has previously held a position as a professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University. After the show’s production ended in 2022, Oz ran for the open Senate seat in Pennsylvania but was defeated by current Senator John Fetterman.
The former television personality has emphasized discussions with important Republican senators on his confirmation journey, with some expressing their support during his hearing earlier this month. Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Crapo from Idaho backed Oz prior to Tuesday’s vote, noting that his “years of experience as an acclaimed physician and public health advocate” make him “uniquely qualified” for the position and encouraged the committee to push forward with his nomination.
Conversely, Democrats criticized Oz during the hearing, alleging that he had evaded taxes. This criticism added to previous concerns they raised about his stance on abortion and potential conflicts of interest. Oz has committed to stepping down from various corporate positions, including those with a drug manufacturer and a supplement company, and to divest from healthcare companies in compliance with his ethics agreement.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the leading Democrat on the committee, stated before Tuesday’s vote that Oz failed to “assure the American people that he would not be a rubber stamp for Republican plans to cut Medicaid and raise Affordable Care Act premiums” during his confirmation hearing. He urged his colleagues to reject the nomination, alleging that Oz has shown no inclination or capacity to “resist the dangerous Trump healthcare agenda.”
This vote follows the Finance Committee’s narrow approval of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s nomination as Health and Human Services secretary in February. If confirmed, Kennedy would be Oz’s supervisor.
With the committee’s endorsement, Oz’s confirmation will proceed to the Senate floor, where Republicans can afford to lose three votes to confirm him without bipartisan support, with Vice President J.D. Vance acting as the tie-breaker.
