FILE - In this May 1, 2006 file photo, former Deputy U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaks at a meeting in Jackson, Miss. President Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary is a former drug company executive who’s already taking heat from Democrats over pricing and conflicts. But as Azar faces his first nomination hearing, even some of those say they see flickers of evidence that he can be trusted to shift the health care debate from partisan confrontation. (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis)
November 28, 2017 - 10:18 AM
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's pick for health secretary is a former drug company executive who already has drawn heat from Democrats over his ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
But as Alex Azar (AY'-zahr) faces his first nomination hearing, even some of those critics see signs he could shift the health care debate away from partisan confrontation.
The former executive with Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. gets his first Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. Democrats plan to question him about high drug prices and his connections to the pharmaceutical industry.
Azar has solid conservative credentials, serving in the Department of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush.
Democrats who have worked with him in Washington and back home in Indiana say he has a reputation as a listener and problem solver.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017