In Trump health secretary pick, Democrats have questions but hope

FILE - In this May 1, 2006 file photo, former Deputy U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaks at a meeting in Jackson, Miss. President Donald TrumpÂs pick for health secretary is a former drug company executive whoÂs already taking heat from Democrats over pricing and conflicts. But as Azar faces his first nomination hearing, even some of those say they see flickers of evidence that he can be trusted to shift the health care debate from partisan confrontation. (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis) less FILE - In this May 1, 2006 file photo, former Deputy U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaks at a meeting in Jackson, Miss. President Donald TrumpÂs pick for health secretary is a former ... more Photo: ROGELIO SOLIS, STF Photo: ROGELIO SOLIS, STF Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close In Trump health secretary pick, Democrats have questions but hope 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's pick for health secretary is a former pharmaceutical company executive who already has drawn heat from Democrats over his ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

But as Alex Azar faces his first nomination hearing, even some of those critics see signs he could shift the health care debate away from partisan confrontation.

"He's certainly given me the assurances that that's his intention," said former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat who met with Azar recently and has known him for years. "While there may be disagreements on policy, I do think he's willing to hear people out."

"He's the best choice we have, given the current political situation," said Kavita Patel, a health care expert with the Brookings Institution, who worked in President Barack Obama's administration and, before that, for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

All sides agree that Azar is headed for Senate confirmation, which would be his third after earlier appointments to senior positions at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Nevertheless, he faces some tough questioning at his hearing Wednesday, given the Senate's hyper-partisan atmosphere, which has sunk or battered other nominees.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has tweeted her intent to ask Azar if he would be a toady for Trump's "extreme, politically driven & harmful agenda." Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she has "concerns" about whether Azar would carry out Trump's promise to deliver "better health care and lower drug prices."

The Senate Finance Committee will hold its own hearing on Azar soon and decide whether to send the nomination to the full Senate.

If confirmed, Azar would be Trump's second HHS secretary, replacing Tom Price, who resigned under pressure after using private charter flights at taxpayer expense.

Azar's career could prove a challenge given Trump's vow to "drain the swamp" of Washington.

Atop the list of questions likely to face Azar, 50, is whether he would work to lower drug prices given his lucrative decadelong stint as an executive with Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co.

On Azar's watch, Eli Lilly drew criticism from patient advocacy groups for price increases to one of its biggest products: insulin.

In speeches while at Eli Lilly, Azar questioned whether the government's regulatory machinery has kept up with the pace of scientific change, and he warned that price controls could stifle innovation.

"Will he carry pharma's water? I don't think so, based on my interactions with him," said former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican from Tennessee. Like Daschle, he is active in the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank.