Heidi Alexander: “for the information of Senators, the vote will be in about 10 minutes, following my remarks, and I want to make my…”

“for the information of Senators, the vote will be in about 10 minutes, following my remarks, and I want to make my remarks because of the importance of this nomination. I join the Senator from Washington State in urging our colleagues to vote to end debate on the nomination of Dr. Califf and then tomorrow to vote for him. We are very fortunate to have a man of this distinction accept this position. I congratulate the President for his nomination. I note, as the Senator from Washington said, that his nomination has been widely applauded across this country and received strong bipartisan support in our committee after an intense investigation. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record, following my remarks, a list of 124 organizations that have submitted letters in support of Dr. Califf's nomination to our committee. The list does not include press releases or other statements of support that were not submitted to the committee. Dr. Califf will be in charge of the Food and Drug Administration. That agency is responsible for the safety and effectiveness of our Nation's medicines, devices, and other medical products in protecting our country's food supply. It is not too much to say that this job affects virtually every single American. It is a huge job. The FDA affects nearly every single American and regulates about one-quarter of all consumer spending in the United States--about $4 trillion annually.…”