Murthy Wins Senate OK for Second Stint as Surgeon General

President Joe Biden’s pick for a key public health leadership position was confirmed Tuesday by the full Senate.

The Senate approved by 57-43 the nomination of Vivek Murthy to serve as surgeon general.

The vote came six days after the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted to advance his nomination. His nomination received bipartisan support from the panel’s members.

The decision on Murthy’s nomination comes at a crucial point for the nascent Biden administration. The U.S. death toll for the Covid-19 pandemic is at over 542,000 people, and the department’s key agencies are working with acting officials ...