Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said he would not cooperate with Biden’s nomination for director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) unless certain conditions were met, according to Politico.

Mr. Sanders swore Until President Biden takes more unilateral steps towards lowering drug prices, I will oppose all of Biden’s health and safety candidates. Sanders currently chairs the committee that reviews candidates for the position. (Related: NIH-funded study gave parents cash to study the effects of puberty inhibitors on their children)

Sanders told Politico that there was no need to rush the nomination process because of public support.

“The people are probably on my side,” Sanders said.

Tensions have risen over Sanders’ sabotage of Biden’s nominee Monica Bertagnoli, according to Politico. This position has been open for over a year and a half.

President Biden will nominate a cancer surgeon and a cancer patient as the next director of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Monica Bertagnoli, whom Biden nominates today, will be the second woman to head the NIH permanently. https://t.co/uJW1KUGsDS

— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 15, 2023

The Biden administration nominated Bertagnoli in May because of his work experience at the National Cancer Institute. The news of Bertagnoli’s appointment was met with applause from the oncology community.

“We wholeheartedly congratulate President Biden on this wonderful choice,” Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, said in a statement.

Knudsen praised Bertagnoli as “an outstanding oncologist, an innovative scientist and a leader with a proven track record of transforming organizations.”

Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren also set conditions for Bertagnoli’s nomination. Warren is asking her to sign an agreement barring her from working with big pharmaceutical companies for four years after she leaves the NIH. According to the media, Bertagnoli is said to be concerned about the extent of the agreement.

The White House told Politico that it shared Sanders’ concerns about drug prices and highlighted what it purported to be the success of the Inflation Act (IRA).

“The president shares the senators’ concerns about drug pricing,” a White House spokeswoman said, according to Politico. A spokesperson said the IRA is “the most important law to deal with expensive prescription drugs.”

Sanders said he hoped his opposition would pressure the administration to address drug pricing.

“It’s not personal,” Sanders said. “The principle here is that we have to address some of the major healthcare crises in America. That’s what we have to do, and it’s time for the administration to act.” .”