On Jan. 31, 2017, Senate Finance Committee Democrats opted out of a committee vote on President Donald Trump's nominees to head the HHS and U.S. Department of the Treasury, The Hill reported.
Here are five things to know:
1. This boycott ultimately pushes back the two nominees' confirmations, as the committee is unable to vote without at least one participating Democrat.
2. The committee's Democrats alleged Rep. Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.) and Steven Mnuchin "misled" Congress during panel testimonies, with statements that strayed from facts, as reported by The Hill.
3. Democrats expressed concern about how Dr. Price's investments in medical companies will present conflicts of interest as head of HHS.
4. Specifically, Democrats seek more information on Dr. Price's stock trades in Australia-based medical biotechnology company Innate Immunotherapeutics, Reuters reported. A Wall Street Journal article published in December 2016, revealed Dr. Price was among fewer than 20 U.S. investors who were able to buy discounted company shares. This conflicts with Dr. Price's testimony that all investors received access to these discounted shares.
5. In order to progress toward a vote, the Democrats said they needed more information.
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