Mr. Azar formerly served as a general counsel and deputy secretary at HHS under Mr. Thompson and Mr. Leavitt before moving to Eli Lilly, where he ultimately served as president of their U.S. division. President Donald Trump nominated Mr. Azar for HHS secretary after Tom Price, MD, resigned in the wake of a scandal involving his use of government-funded private jets.
The former secretaries said Mr. Azar played pivotal roles in the agency’s responses to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the anthrax attacks shortly thereafter, which they believe prepared Mr. Azar for leading the agency.
“He has the necessary experience, skills, motivation and integrity. During both of our tenures as HHS secretary, we had the good fortune to have [Mr.] Azar serve in senior positions during challenging times. We strongly support his nomination to be the next secretary of [HHS],” they wrote in The Hill. “When [Mr.] Azar arrived at HHS in 2001 he was not the healthcare expert he is now. He was, however, an excellent attorney who was incredibly hard working, highly ethical and driven by a desire to serve the public. Those attributes quickly transformed [Mr.] Azar into a health policy expert who as general counsel and deputy secretary was invaluable to HHS and the American people.”
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