On September 24, 2026, the Senate Finance Committee held an executive session to vote on the nomination of Mr. Chris Klomp to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Dr. Ge Bai to serve as Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). The committee favorably approved Mr. Klomp by a vote of 15-12, with one Democratic senator voting with Republicans in favor of the nomination. Dr. Bai was also advanced in a 14-13 party-line vote by the committee.
More information on the Senate Finance Committee executive session may be found here.
On September 30, 2026, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to advance three nominees for senior positions at HHS. The committee approved the nominations of Dr. Nicole Saphier to serve as Surgeon General and Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, Dr. Timothy Westlake to serve as Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, and Ms. Mary Lazare to serve as Assistant Secretary for Aging. The nominations were advanced en bloc by a party-line vote of 12-11. If confirmed by the Senate, the nominees would assume key leadership roles overseeing public health, behavioral health, and aging-related programs and policies across HHS.
A press release from the Senate HELP committee may be found here.
Impact on General Dentistry: The advancement of new HHS leadership could shape future federal policies on health care affordability, provider reimbursement, workforce development, and public health initiatives that indirectly affect dental practices. In particular, ASPE's work can influence research and policy development related to oral health access, provider workforce issues, payment reform, and the integration of oral health into broader health care initiatives. Additionally, the Surgeon General is tasked with setting national public health priorities and prevention initiatives. Future efforts related to chronic disease prevention, tobacco cessation, healthy aging, and health equity could create opportunities to further integrate oral health into broader public health strategies.
