(Story was updated on Feb. 16)
The Senate quietly confirmed Dr. Brett Giroir on Wednesday to be HHS' assistant secretary for health, despite pushback by Democrats who feared women's access to care could be harmed by his appointment.
According to congressional records, Giroir's confirmation came via a voice vote. The names or numbers of senators voting on each side are not recorded.
Giroir, a Texas pediatrician will oversee HHS' Office of Population Affairs, which administers Title X grants, and the Office of Adolescent Health, which oversees the teen pregnancy prevention program. Title X funding goes to clinics for family planning and reproductive health services.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told reporters last year that she was unconvinced Dr. Giroir would be willing to stand up to the Trump administration's ideological attacks on women while in a key leadership role at HHS.
Murray's office did not return a request for comment on Giroir's confirmation.
The Trump administration supports allowing states to block Title X funding to family planning providers such as Planned Parenthood.
When Murray asked Giroir during a confirmation hearing if he believed family planning funds should be made available to all providers, Giroir responded that "If there are restrictions that are handed down to me, I am obliged to follow the law."
Giroir previously served as CEO of biopharmaceutical company ViraCyte and an adjunct professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
He also served Texas A&M in administrative roles for seven years but admitted he was forced out of his post as head of the school's health science center after a new chancellor replaced much of the school's administrative staff.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the circumstances under which Giroir left his last position at Texas A&M.
