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Fetterman names condition that would propel him to confirm Dr. Oz for CMS administrator

November 20, 2024 | | Print Article

Putting a battleground state feud to rest, one Democratic senator made clear what it would take for him to support a one-time rival nominated by President-elect Donald Trump.

The GOP leader’s continuing slate of nominations added a pick for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Tuesday in well-known physician, Dr. Mehmet Oz. Harkening back to their 2022 race, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) indicated that, so long as those benefits were protected, “I’m voting for the dude.”

Following Trump’s announcement, CNN’s chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju reported in part, “On Oz’s nomination to head the health agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid, Fetterman very much open to voting for his confirmation.”

“‘I’m going to be very, very clear if Dr. Oz agrees to protect and preserve Medicaid and Medicare, I’m absolutely going to vote for the dude,’ he told me,” continued Raju. “‘That’s the most important thing for me. Our politics are obviously different, and we do have a history, but I don’t have any bitterness. I don’t hold anything against him. As long as he’s willing to protect and preserve Medicaid and Medicare, I’m voting for the dude.'”

Sharing the report, Fetterman reiterated on X, “If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude.”

In selecting the 2022 Pennsylvania Republican senatorial candidate, Trump asserted in his statement, “America is facing a Healthcare Crisis, and there may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again. He is an eminent Physician, Heart Surgeon, Inventor, and World-Class Communicator, who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades.”

“Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake,” added the president-elect who expected Oz to be “a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country.”

The president-elect faced a considerable amount of pushback over some of his nominees, including Kennedy for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

In response to a great deal of foot-stomping from the left, Trump made clear his intent to circumvent any delays in confirmation hearings for his second administration, with time of the essence to get things done, by signaling his preparation to make recess appointments to complete staffing.

Meanwhile, as Oz gained support from the likes of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) who referred to the nominee on X as “an excellent fit for this position,” and Kennedy posted “Welcome Dr. Oz to The Avengers,” leftists bristled at Fetterman for not taking a blanket opposition approach to the president-elect’s nominations while others embraced his “independent streak.”

Kevin Haggerty
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