Azar Meets with Senior Member of Confirmation Committee for HHS Post

HHS secretary nominee Alex Azar met with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, which will oversee the first steps of the confirmation process. They discussed the importance of lowering drug prices and encouraging generic competition.

“Americans were right to be outraged by the inappropriate and wasteful spending of department funds by the previous secretary,” Grassley said, referring to Tom Price, who resigned in September following a scandal over his use of taxpayer-funded private aircraft for HHS business. “I expect Mr. Azar understands that taxpayer dollars ought to be respected at every level of every agency of the federal government.”

In addition, the two discussed the importance of whistleblowers in the pharmaceutical industry. “It’s up to the next secretary to foster a culture at HHS that supports whistleblowers and protects them from retaliation,” Grassley said.