The Post reported that the new Biden government could, as early as Wednesday, ask Adams to step down and appoint an interim general surgeon, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.
Trump then appointed Adams, an anesthesiologist who previously served as Indiana State Health Commissioner, to the post in 2017. Adams’ four-year term was set to expire in September.
He will be one of several Trump officials involved in the president’s Covid-19 task force that was asked to resign when Biden’s team took over the federal response to the pandemic.
Adams declined to comment on the Post. A Biden spokesman referred to the Post as Murthy’s pending appointment as general surgeon.
The Post also reported that by choosing an interim surgeon general, the Biden government will bypass deputy surgeon general Erica Schwartz, a career civil servant who plans to retire because of being passed over. Schwartz did not respond to the Post’s request for comment. A senior Trump administration official confirmed to the Post that Schwartz is retiring.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Murthy would play a key role in the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Murthy has been Biden’s top health advisor since the campaign. He was on the Biden public health advisory committee when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the United States and served as co-chairman of Biden’s coronavirus advisory board during the presidential transition.
Biden chose Dr. David Kessler to be the scientific director of Covid’s response, taking over from Moncef Slaoui, who led the effort during the Trump administration. Slaoui agreed to stay another month to “ensure a smooth transition,” a Biden transition official told CNN.
Biden asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to also serve as his primary medical advisor at Covid-19.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz, Jeff Zeleny and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.