WASHINGTON — Some of the nation’s most influential doctors and public health groups are orchestrating a mad-dash effort to convince senators to confirm Robert Califf, President Biden’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration.
Advocacy groups like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Friends of Cancer Research are calling lawmakers and their staff. The American Heart Association is organizing an activist call-in campaign. Even celebrity doctors and Califf’s former colleagues at Duke University are phoning Capitol Hill.
“We need somebody quickly to be FDA commissioner. So I and many others are doing all we can behind the scenes to push leadership in the Congress and Senate to try to make this happen and make them understand the big picture,” said David Agus, a prominent Los Angeles doctor and TV commentator who leads the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of the University of Southern California. Agus called the lack of a permanent FDA commissioner 13 months into the Covid-19 pandemic “tragic.”
The pressure campaign comes amid growing signs that Califf’s nomination is in serious trouble. Five Democrats in the Senate have already expressed serious concerns with Califf’s nomination and at least 10 more are still undecided about his candidacy. Quite a few Republicans in the chamber also have concerns.
“It’s … the ‘break glass in case of emergency’ moment,” said one patient advocate, who noted that many advocacy groups had, until recently, thought Califf would sail through his confirmation process easily.
It’s not unusual for advocacy groups and doctors to publicly support a candidate for the FDA through efforts like open letters, but it’s less common for them to drum up numerous calls to lawmakers, according to Bill Pierce, a former deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services and now a senior director at APCO Worldwide.
“It’s just more than is normally done,” said Pierce, who added that groups “have really upped their public advocacy” for Califf.
It’s not clear when a vote on Califf’s nomination will be held. STAT first reported last week that nearly a dozen Democratic senators were still undecided on whether they would support his nomination.
It’s also unclear if the supporters will be able to drown out the swell of calls coming in from anti-abortion groups opposing Califf’s nomination. A spokesperson for the Susan B. Anthony List, which is leading opposition to Califf’s nomination, confirmed that the group has organized more than 1,000 calls to senators opposing Califf’s nomination. The group is against Califf’s nomination because he lifted restrictions on medication-assisted abortion when he was FDA commissioner at the tail end of the Obama administration.
The swift support for Califf is coming primarily from groups who support his public health stances.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, for example, has been making calls stressing Califf’s pledges to rein in tobacco use and crack down on youth vaping.
“We have been engaged to ensure that members of the Senate understand Dr. Califf’s history on tobacco and from our perspective, the importance of having a Senate-confirmed commissioner without further delay because of the urgent and important tobacco issues that are front and center today at FDA,” said Matt Myers, the group’s president, who added that his group is making calls to senators and “communications in a variety of different forms.”
The American Heart Association has put out a call to its grassroots network of volunteers asking them to call senators in support of Califf’s nomination, according to the group’s website.
Califf, one of the nation’s most renowned cardiologists, has a long history with the association. He was a lead author of the group’s 2020 call to action for addressing inequities in rural health and was a “driving force” behind the association’s recent commitment to address social determinants of health, according to an association press release supporting Califf’s nomination.
Friends of Cancer Research, which has worked with Califf on a number of initiatives to modernize clinical trials, is also making calls to senators and their staff.
“Since Dr. Califf’s HELP hearing, where we saw his unimpeachable qualifications, we, and dozens across the entire community, have been doubling our efforts and encouraging all members of the Senate to step up and vote to confirm him quickly,” Ellen Sigal, the group’s founder, wrote in a statement. “While we have one of the most eminently qualified Acting Commissioners in history with Dr. Woodcock, it is vital that there be a Senate confirmed leader at the agency.”
The American Heart Association has put out a call to its grassroots network of volunteers asking them to call senators in support of Califf’s nomination, according to the group’s website.
Califf, one of the nation’s most renowned cardiologists, has a long history with the association. He was a lead author of the group’s 2020 call to action for addressing inequities in rural health and was a “driving force” behind the association’s recent commitment to address social determinants of health, according to an association press release supporting Califf’s nomination.
Friends of Cancer Research, which has worked with Califf on a number of initiatives to modernize clinical trials, is also making calls to senators and their staff.
“Since Dr. Califf’s HELP hearing, where we saw his unimpeachable qualifications, we, and dozens across the entire community, have been doubling our efforts and encouraging all members of the Senate to step up and vote to confirm him quickly,” Ellen Sigal, the group’s founder, wrote in a statement. “While we have one of the most eminently qualified Acting Commissioners in history with Dr. Woodcock, it is vital that there be a Senate confirmed leader at the agency.”
The Association of American Medical Colleges is also making an extra effort to boost Califf after news of his troubles surfaced. The group sent a letter to all 100 senators on Wednesday to voice their support. Ross McKinney, the group’s chief scientific officer, spent 30 years at Duke before moving to AAMC and has known Califf for years.
“It looks like you could put a random person up for FDA chosen from anywhere on the street, and the opposition would be exactly the same. So they have chosen a sacrificial lamb,” McKinney said.
