Senate Confirms Vivek Murthy As Surgeon General Over NRA Opposition

WASHINGTON -- In a rare show of defiance of the National Rifle Association, the Senate on Monday confirmed Dr. Vivek Murthy to serve as surgeon general of the United States. Murthy's nomination had been stalled for nearly a year due to comments he made in support of stricter gun laws. Murthy is a Harvard- and Yale-educated physician, and has identified obesity and chronic disease as areas of focus for his tenure. He will be the first Indian American to hold the position. The Senate voted, 51-43, to confirm Murthy for the nation's top public health post, which has been vacant since July 2013. Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.) was the lone Republican to vote for Murthy, while three Democrats voted against him: Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.). Murthy needed just a simple majority vote based on the rules changes enacted by the Senate last year. A group of doctors watched Murthy's vote from the gallery and broke out into cheers and applause when it was clear that he had been confirmed. Murthy's confirmation represents a defeat for the NRA, which mounted fierce opposition to his nomination earlier this year because of previous statements characterizing guns as a "health care issue." Although Murthy cleared the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in March, several Democrats who faced tough re-election battles had threatened to oppose his nomination if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) brought it to the floor. After No...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news