The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held close to party lines in its approval Wednesday to advance HHS nominee Alex Azar's confirmation to the full Senate floor, The Hill reports.
Mr. Azar's nomination was confirmed in a 15-12 committee vote. All Republican senators on the committee voted in favor of the confirmation, while Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., was the sole Democrat to support the nomination, the report states.
"By any objective account, Mr. Azar is very well qualified for this important position. He has close to two decades of experience, the right expertise, and sound judgment," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said.
During a confirmation hearing last week, senators grilled Mr. Azar on his experience at the helm of Eli Lilly and his thoughts on soaring drug prices in the U.S.
Mr. Azar previously worked at HHS under former President George W. Bush, first as member of the department's general counsel from 2001 through 2005, and later spent two years as deputy secretary, according to The Hill.