The Senate confirmed Rep. Tom Price (R-Georgia) early Friday as the new secretary of Health and Human Services.
He was approved by a party-line vote of 52-47. Democrats were concerned that the conservative congressman wants to pare down government health programs. They were also troubled by lingering ethics questions over Price's investments.
In his new role, Price, a retired orthopedic surgeon from suburban Atlanta who served as chairman of the House Budget Committee, is expected to implement the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, which his colleagues in Congress have been working on this year.
Price will oversee a $1 trillion agency, the largest budget of any Cabinet secretary. In addition to Obamacare, HHS administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs and oversees the National Institutes of Health, among other programs and agencies.
With Price's confirmation, HHS now has as its leader a budget hawk who has proposed replacing the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are tied to income, with tax credits to purchase insurance. Tax credits are not determined by an individual's income level.