President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he was nominating Dr. Mehmet Oz to become his administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Oz, a celebrity TV physician who lost in Pennsylvania’s 2022 U.S. Senate race to Democrat John Fetterman, would oversee a federal agency that says it provides health coverage to more than 160 million people through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

“I am very pleased to nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator,” Trump said in a statement. “America is facing a Healthcare Crisis, and there may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again.”

NEW: President Trump announces the nomination of @DrOz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator pic.twitter.com/cXHKFW6K7M

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 19, 2024

Trump said Oz is “an eminent Physician, Heart Surgeon, Inventor, and World-Class Communicator, who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades.” Trump added that Oz would “work closely” with Robert F. Kennedy, his selection to lead the Health and Human Services Department, “to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.”

Normally, a candidate for such a position would have to pass through a Senate confirmation process, but Trump has indicated that he wants to use recess appointments to install his Cabinet members. It remains to be seen how the GOP-led Senate in the next session will handle Trump’s picks for top positions in his second administration.

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Trump said he expects Oz to become a “leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country.” Trump also predicted Oz “will also cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget.”

After mentioning details of Oz’s background, including his education and career accomplishments, Trump ended his nomination announcement with a personal touch: “I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible Healthcare, so our Country can be Great and Healthy Again!”