"His extensive ties to the pharmaceutical industry give me no reason to believe that he would make the FDA work for ordinary Americans," Sanders said of Dr. Robert Califf's nomination to be FDA commissioner. | AP Photo Sanders may block Obama's pick to head FDA

Sen. Bernie Sanders is considering whether to block President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Food & Drug Administration, an aide said Tuesday.

The Vermont independent and Democratic presidential candidate is mulling whether to place a procedural "hold" on Dr. Robert Califf's nomination to be FDA commissioner over his ties to the pharmaceutical industry, the aide said. Califf's nomination cleared committee on Tuesday.


"We need someone who will work to substantially lower drug prices, implement rules to safely import brand-name drugs from Canada and hold companies accountable who defraud our government. Dr. Califf is not that person," Sanders said in a statement on Tuesday morning. "His extensive ties to the pharmaceutical industry give me no reason to believe that he would make the FDA work for ordinary Americans, rather than pharmaceutical industry CEOs."

Califf has served as a consultant to drug companies in the past, drawing scrutiny from both Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), another liberal on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Sanders had planned to vote "no" by proxy on her nomination in committee, but the panel's leadership shifted to a voice vote that prevented him from registering his objection.

Putting a hold on an Obama nominee would be a high-profile rebuke of the president by Sanders, who has often criticized Obama's policies but is generally a reliable vote for his nominees. A hold would require Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to prioritize the nominee and use up some of the Senate's floor time, which has not been a common occurrence during the past year of GOP Senate control.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also has threatened a hold on Califf over the Obama administration's approval of genetically engineered fish.