Dr. Robert Califf is one step closer to becoming the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Califf’s nomination, made Sept. 15, 2015, by President Barack Obama, gained approval Tuesday by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

The unanimous voice vote by the Senate committee, however, does not guarantee Califf’s nomination will get a quick vote from the full Senate. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is threatening to put a”hold” on the Califf nomination because she is angry about the FDA’s approval of a genetically engineered salmon that the agency says does not require special labeling. The Alaska salmon industry fears the GE salmon because of its fast growth and Murkowski wants mandatory labeling for the genetically modified fish. FDA’s approval of manufacturer AquaBounty Technologies’ fish named AquaAdvantage came two days after Califf’s November 2015 nomination hearing. Sen. Murkowski has said Califf was not being “straightforward” with her. She told the Associated Press after the hearing that she thought she should have been notified before the FDA announced its approval of the GE salmon. The FDA’s review of AquAdvantage salmon took almost a decade, most of it before Califf’s time with the agency, which began in 2015. Dr. Margaret Hamburg stepped down as FDA Commissioner in February 2015. Cliff joined FDA the following month He is serving as deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco while waiting to see if Congress will approve him as commissioner. The agency has jurisdiction over about 80 percent of the food supply in the U.S. and is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Califf is a cardiologist, having served in various capacities at Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke University Medical Center between 1982 and 2015. At Duke University School of Medicine, he was vice chancellor, director of the Duke Translational Medicine Institute, which he founded in 2006, and a professor of medicine. He was also director of the Cardiac Care Unit at the Duke University Medical Center. He founded the Duke University Clinical Research Institute in 2006 and served as its director. Califf also served on the executive committee of the Duke Health System. He has served in a number professional organizations, including committees of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM), the IOM Clinical Research Roundtable, the IOM Committee on Medication Errors, and the IOM Board on Health Sciences Policy. He was a member of the FDA’s Cardio Renal Advisory Committee from 1996 to 2000 and on the FDA’s Science Board Working Group from 2007 to 2008.  His bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from Duke University. “I’ve approached this nomination focused on the best interests of families and communities in Washington state and across the country,” said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA. “And after careful consideration and review, I believe Dr. Califf will be a valuable partner as head of FDA.” Murray, the ranking member of the Senate committee, said she is certain Califf will be “a strong, independent FDA commissioner.” Until now, most of the doubt about Califf’s nomination has come from two of the Senate’s most left-wing members, Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA. They raised questions about Califf’s involvement in funding for pharmaceutical research at Duke. Before the committee vote Jan. 12, Warren said she had become satisfied with Califf’s integrity as an academic researcher. Sanders missed the Tuesday committee meeting to continue with his presidential campaign. Sanders told the Associated Press Califf is “not the person” to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and that he is also considering a hold on the nomination.   (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)