Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski has ceased her attempts to block the nomination for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new commissioner after the agency provided adequate assurances regarding the labeling of genetically modified salmon products.
In November 2015, Murkowski called for a hold on the nomination of Robert Califf for the FDA’s top seat, citing the agency’s approval of the sale of GM salmon from AquaBounty as a deterrent. The next month, the Republican senator was able to insert a provision within an omnibus spending bill that would disallow the sale of GM salmon products until the FDA was able to publish labeling guidelines, a process known to take considerable time.
However, since placing the hold on Califf’s FDA nomination, Murkowski has worked diligently with the agency, and has received favorable reassurance. As such, she has confirmed that she will no longer be standing in the way of the nomination.
“I have been working closely with the FDA to develop labeling guidelines, and I have received the assurances I need that the FDA is taking this matter seriously,” Murkowski said in a statement.
This decision comes shortly after the FDA called for a temporary ban on GM salmon imports so that it could draft labeling guidelines for the products.
