On Monday, the Senate confirmed Dr. Vivek Murthy will serve as surgeon general of the United States with a 51-43 vote. The position has been vacant since July 2013, and the main reason it took this long to appoint Murthy was the push back from the National Riffle Association.
Murthy, a Harvard- and Yale-educated physician and now the first Indian American to hold the position, has identified obesity and chronic disease as major issues for the country. He is also concerned with gun-control as a health issue and spoke out about it, which created some tension. The NRA hasn’t budged following Monday’s decision.
“The NRA’s position hasn’t changed. America’s next surgeon general should not be a political operative whose professional inexperience has been a source of bipartisan concern,” NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said in a statement, according to The Huffington Post.
On the other side of things, President Obama shared his enthusiasm about the vote:
“As ‘America’s Doctor,’ Vivek will hit the ground running to make sure every American has the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe. He’ll bring his lifetime of experience promoting public health to bear on priorities ranging from stopping new diseases to helping our kids grow up healthy and strong,” Obama said. “Vivek will also help us build on the progress we’ve made combatting Ebola, both in our country and at its source. Combined with the crucial support for fighting Ebola included in the bill to fund our government next year, Vivek’s confirmation makes us better positioned to save lives around the world and protect the American people here at home.”
Those from anti-gun violence groups are also pleased with the outcome. Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group co-founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) and her husband Mark Kelly, said a vote on Murthy was “long overdue.”
“Tonight, the United States Senate did the responsible thing: It stood up to the gun lobby, stood up for common sense, and voted to ensure that the United States has a qualified medical professional as its top doctor,” Kelly said in a statement on behalf of the group.
