Murthy Was Confirmed By The Senate As U.S. Surgeon General On March 23, 2021. "The Senate confirmed Vivek Murthy, President Biden’s pick for surgeon general, by a 57-to-43 vote on Tuesday, marking his second stint in the post he held from 2014 through 2017. As U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Murthy will advise Mr. Biden on the pandemic and will be the federal government’s leading voice on public health. He will head the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps of officers, who work throughout the federal government, and guide public health officials on health matters such as the opioid epidemic and e-cigarettes." [The Wall Street Journal, 3/23/21]
POLITICO Reported Biden Selected Murthy To Serve As Surgeon General. “Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. surgeon general under Obama, will return to that role, but with a broader portfolio that will include acting as the top medical expert and public face of the [pandemic response] effort.” [Politico, 12/3/20]
Murthy Will Have An Expanded Portfolio To Address The COVID-19 Pandemic. “‘It will be like an amplified, [Surgeon General] on steroids plus,’ the source close to Biden said, adding that Murthy will have a ‘broader portfolio’ that covers both the immediate pandemic crisis and, once it ends, more systemic health care issues including substance abuse, mental health and racial disparities in health care.” [Politico, 12/3/20]
Murthy Was A Top Candidate For HHS Secretary But Is Now Biden’s Pick for Surgeon General. “Murthy, who has been deeply involved in the formulation of Biden’s Covid-19 plans and has been briefing the president-elect multiple times a week since the early months of the pandemic, had been a leading candidate to run the Department of Health and Human Services, but concerns arose over his lack of experience running a large agency with tens of thousands of employees and a budget in the billions.” [Politico, 12/3/20]