December 2014

While the Senate was forced to delay the vote on the final 2015 omnibus spending package due to some Republican opposition to the President's executive order on immigration, Majority Leader Harry Reid brought a number of Presidential nominations and judges up for Senate floor votes. One of these key votes was for the confirmation of the President's Surgeon General nominee, Vivek Murthy, M.D. Dr. Murthy, an internist, was nominated by the President seventeen months ago, however, he faced opposition from some Senate Republicans after he described gun violence as a public health issue. Dr. Murthy was confirmed by a vote of 51 – 43. He has indicated that his focuses as Surgeon General will be on obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Dr. Murthy has served on the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 2011. He is also the founder of VISIONS, a non-profit focused on HIV-AIDS education in the U.S. and India.