The U.S. Senate approved President Barack Obama's surgeon general nominee, 37-year-old Vivek Murthy, on Monday with a vote of 51-43.
Murthy, a physician at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, is focusing on obesity and chronic disease for his tenure, according to The Huffington Post.
The only three Democrats to vote against Murthy were Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va), Sen. Joe Donnelly (Ind.) and Sen. Heidi HeitKamp (N.D.), whereas Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., was the only Republican to vote for Murthy.
Murthy will be the U.S.'s first Indian-American surgeon general and its youngest. Earlier this year, his nomination was put on the backburner following comments he made in support of stricter gun laws, referring to guns as a "health care issue," which sparked outrage in groups such as the National Rifle Association.
The NRA continued its opposition on Monday by attempting to dissuade senators from voting for Murthy, saying it could help in their future political campaigns, reported AP.
"The NRA's position hasn't changed. America's next surgeon general should not be a political operative whose professional inexperience has been a source of bipartisan concern," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said in a statement.
Republicans also spoke out against Murthy's nomination on the Senate floor, citing his gun views and association with the Doctors for America group that advocated for the Affordable Care Act.
According to Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Murthy spent most of his career as a political and gun control activist, instead of spending time treating patients, reported AP.
"Americans don't want a surgeon general who might use this position of trust to promote his own personal campaign against the Second Amendment of the Constiution," Barrasso said.
Barrasso is at least partly referring to a tweet sent by Murthy back in 2012: "Tired of politicians playing politics w/guns, putting lives at risk b/c they're scared of NRA. Guns are a health care issue."
If nominated, Murthy said he does "not intend to use the surgeon general's office as a bully pulpit for gun control," reported The Washington Post.
Upon hearing news of the confirmation, President Barack Obama released a statement saying Vivek will "help us build on the progress we've made combating Ebola, both in our country and at its source."
"Combined with the crucial support for fighting Ebola included in the bill to fund out government next year, Vivek's confirmation makes us better positioned to save lives around the world and protect the American people here at home."
