Monday: FDA nomination

by Jordain Carney - 02/22/16 9:49 AM ET

President Obama’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration faces a procedural hurdle as the Senate returns from a week-long Presidents Day recess on Monday.

Senators will take a cloture vote on Robert Califf’s nomination to be FDA commissioner at 5:30 p.m. Sixty votes will be needed to move forward.

{mosads}Under Senate rules, if Califf overcomes Monday’s hurdle, senators can continue to debate his nomination for up to 30 hours before a final vote.

While Obama’s nominee has gotten bipartisan support, a handful of senators—including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination—have pledged to oppose him. They cite concerns over his ties to the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA’s response to the opioid epidemic.

Deaths from prescription drugs and heroin overdose reached an all-time high in 2014, according to the Center for Disease Control.

The Senate’s Health committee approved Califf’s nomination last month.

The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. Monday. The House is not in session.

Tags Bernie Sanders