Cassidy’s pushback comes after he was defeated in his reelection bid in May, failing to make it into a Louisiana primary runoff that Trump’s handpicked candidate, Rep. Julia Letlow, ultimately won.
The Republican senator hasn’t just clashed with the Trump administration over health issues. He’s also targeted Trump’s handling of the Iran war, and several GOP lawmakers said he and Trump got into a shouting match over the conflict last month during a closed-door meeting.
Still, Cassidy has vowed to support Trump’s latest surgeon general nominee, Erica Schwartz, as she seeks to be confirmed as the nation’s top doctor. Schwartz was previously the deputy surgeon general.
Trump pulled the nominations of his previous picks, former Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat and Casey Means, a popular influencer and physician who no longer practices medicine. Cassidy praised Schwartz during his appearance on CNN’s “SOTU,” telling Bash he hopes Schwartz can make positive changes.
–