WASHINGTON — A Senate committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of Texas radiation oncologist Stephen Hahn to be head of the Food and Drug Administration, which is currently embroiled in a high-stakes debate over how to regulate e-cigarettes and curb youth vaping.
The vote by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was 18 to 5. If approved by the Senate, Hahn, a top official at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, will be the fourth head of the FDA in less than a year.
Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said before the vote that Hahn is “exactly the type of nominee” that should lead the FDA, citing his management and research experience.
But Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the panel’s ranking Democrat, voted against Hahn, saying during his confirmation hearing last month he had “refused to commit to implementing a strong policy to clear nontobacco e-cigarettes” from the market — a step President Donald Trump promised in September but has not finalized. Other Democrats split, with some voting for Hahn’s confirmation and others voting against him.
The timing of the full Senate vote isn’t known but Alexander has said he hoped Hahn would be confirmed by the end of the year.
