US Senate to Hold Confirmation Hearing For Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General Murthy was previously Surgeon General under President Barack Obama in 2014 before he was asked to step down by the Trump administration. Vivek Murthy. Photo: PTI World25/Feb/2021 Washington: Indian-American physician Dr Vivek Murthy, President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as US Surgeon General, is expected to reflect on the death of his seven family members in India and America due to COVID-19 to highlight his plans to end the pandemic during his confirmation hearing on Thursday. The confirmation hearing of Murthy, 43, by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions comes days after reports that he made more than $2 million from pandemic consulting speeches.