(CNN) -- The Senate voted Wednesday night to break a Democratic filibuster and advance the nomination of Rep. Tom Price for secretary of Health and Human Services.

The vote was 51-48, along party lines. Jeff Sessions, who moments before was confirmed to be the next attorney general, did not vote.

The Senate will now allow 30 hours for debate before Price's nomination comes to a full Senate vote at some point on Friday. It's unclear whether Democrats will yield back any of that time and vote sooner.

Price, a 12-year congressman and orthopedic surgeon from Georgia, has faced a rocky confirmation process, with Democrats raising ethics concerns about his financial dealings and staging a boycott in a committee vote over his nomination.

Republicans are eager to confirm the HHS nominee in their ongoing effort to repeal and fix Obamacare.

The Senate is also expected to vote this week on Trump's nominee for the treasury department, Steve Mnuchin.</s>The Senate has confirmed Rep. Tom Price to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The 52-47 vote came just a day after the Senate confirmed Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, as President Trump’s attorney general.

Price, 62, is a Georgia Republican who spent his career as an orthopedic surgeon before entering Congress in 2005. In the last Congress, Price succeeded Paul Ryan -- after he became speaker -- as the chairman of the House Budget Committee, where he laid out budget proposals that called for an Obamacare repeal.

During one of his two confirmation hearings last month, Price told lawmakers President Obama’s healthcare law would be replaced piece-by-piece.

“No one is interested in pulling the rug out from anybody,” he said about potential losses of health insurance once a repeal is implemented. “We believe that it’s absolutely imperative that individuals that have health coverage be able to keep health coverage and move, hopefully, to greater choices and opportunities for them to gain the kind of coverage that they want for themselves and for their families.”

As he went through the confirmation process, Price faced accusations of insider trading after it was revealed that he bought shares in a medical device company last year and then introduced legislation in the House to help the company less than a week later. It was also previously reported that Price traded more than $300,000 in healthcare stocks over the last four years while advocating or sponsoring bills that could have affected the stocks of those companies.

Price, however, denied that he engaged in any insider trading or had any conflicts of interest, saying his investment portfolio was managed by a broker and he had no knowledge about the stocks that were bought in his name.

“The fact of the matter is that I have had no conversations with my broker about any political activity at all other than her congratulating me on my election,” Price said at one of his confirmation hearings.

Late last month, Democrats began a temporary boycott of Price and Mr. Trump’s nominee for treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin.

CBS News’ Reena Flores contributed to this report.</s>Rep. Tom Price was confirmed as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services early Friday as the Senate worked overnight. Price was confirmed by a 52-47 vote.

The Senate, working through a middle-of-the-night session, confirmed Rep. Tom Price to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, CNN reported Friday.

The vote was along party lines, with Price being confirmed by a 52-47 margin.

Price, a Republican from Georgia, has pushed to undo the Affordable Care Act and has advocated making major changes to Medicare, stances that Democrats have opposed.

Republicans say Price is a champion of free market principles who will guide the repeal and replace of Obamacare, the top legislative priority for President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans.

The Senate worked late because of procedural delays pressed by Democrats on a series of Trump's Cabinet members.</s>Senator David Perdue spoke on Thursday on the Senate floor about the upcoming confirmation vote on President Donald J. Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Tom Price.

He said, "I rise tonight to support the confirmation of my friend, fellow Georgian, and our next Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. Tom Price.

"I’ve known Dr. Price personally and worked with him for quite some time. He is a remarkable individual and we should take comfort in his nomination to this important position because he has years of service and years of experience working within our nation’s health care system. He has been a practicing physician, a state legislator, and a member of the United States House of Representatives.



"Dr. Price knows that government intrusion has already negatively impacted patient care in the last few years. He has years of professional experience as a physician and he’s seen as a leading voice in health care policy.



"My colleagues across the aisle oppose him, they say, primarily because of his opposition to the Affordable Care Act. The truth is, Obamacare is collapsing under its own weight today.



"I think we are taking a great American who is willing to volunteer to serve and become a member of this President Trump’s cabinet, and try to make health care better for every American. I can’t think of another person in this country who is more qualified for this timely responsibility.



"Dr. Price will work to end Washington’s takeover of our health care system, and I know he will work tirelessly for a health care system that compassionately improves the lives of every American.



"Truly, there is no one more qualified to serve as our next Health and Human Services Secretary than my good friend, Dr. Tom Price. I’m proud to support him and I’m glad we’re finally grinding our way to his confirmation later tonight.”</s>Ga. Rep. Tom Price was confirmed as the new health secretary in a 52-47 Senate vote. (NBC)</s>In a middle-of-the-night vote, the Senate confirmed Rep. Tom Price to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The 52 to 47 vote was along party lines.

Democrats opposed Price, a Republican from Georgia, because he is a key architect of undoing the Affordable Care Act and has advocated making major changes to Medicare.

Their suspicions were deepened when it was revealed Price traded health care stocks while having oversight duties of the health care industry. Price has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Republicans view Price, an orthopedic surgeon, as a champion of free market principles who will guide the repeal and replace of Obamacare, the top legislative priority for President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans.

The Senate worked late because of procedural delays pressed by Democrats on a series of Trump’s Cabinet members.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) – Rep. Tom Price of Georgia has been sworn in as health and human services secretary, setting the stage for the conservative to play a leading role in dismantling President Barack Obama’s health care law.

Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath to Price hours after he won Senate confirmation on a narrow 52-47 vote early Friday.

Price is an orthopedic surgeon who is expected to help scuttle the Affordable Care Act, in part, by issuing regulations to weaken it.

Democrats assailed Price as an ideologue with a questionable history of trading health care stocks and warned that he would take away health insurance from millions of Americans.</s>WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Price of Georgia was sworn in Friday as health and human services secretary, setting the stage for the conservative to play a leading role in dismantling President Barack Obama’s health care law.

Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath to Price hours after he won Senate confirmation on a narrow 52-47 vote early Friday.

Price is an orthopedic surgeon who is expected to help scuttle the Affordable Care Act, in part, by issuing regulations to weaken it.

Democrats assailed Price as an ideologue with a questionable history of trading health care stocks and warned that he would take away health insurance from millions of Americans.

Price took the oath of office at the White House just hours after the Senate confirmed him 52-47 in a party-line vote. That roll call came in the dead of night, thanks to Democrats’ tactic of forcing prolonged debates to broadcast their opposition to Trump and his team.

“Having Dr. Tom Price at the helm of HHS gives us a committed ally in our work to repeal and replace Obamacare,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Friday.

Democrats focused on the legislation Price sponsored during a seven-term House career, including efforts to kill Obama’s law. He’s also sought to reshape Medicare’s guarantee of health coverage for seniors into a voucher-like program, cut Medicaid, which helps poor people afford care, and halt federal payments to Planned Parenthood because it provides abortions.

Sen Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., conceded that Price had experience but added, “It’s the kind of experience that should horrify you.”

That battle won, Republicans were preparing to next win Senate confirmation for financier Steven Mnuchin to be Treasury secretary. He was expected to get the chamber’s approval Monday, along with Trump’s choice to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, physician David Shulkin.

Republicans have lauded Mnuchin’s long career in the finance and banking worlds.

As they did with Price, Democrats are attacking Mnuchin’s background, such as criticizing OneWest bank, which he led, for not protecting thousands of homeowners from unnecessary foreclosures. They also said he failed to disclose nearly $100 million in assets on forms he filed with the Senate.

Price’s nomination is part of a larger clash in which Republicans want to quickly enact priorities long blocked by Obama. Democrats, with few tools as Congress’ minority, are making a show of resistance, stretching some floor debates to the maximum 30 hours Senate rules allow.

The high stakes plus Trump’s belligerent style have fed the combativeness. They’ve also produced remarkable scenes, including Democratic boycotts of hearings, Republicans suspending committee rules to approve nominees and GOP senators voting to bar Warren from joining one debate.

Democrats have accused Price of lying about his acquisition of discounted shares of an Australian biotech company and benefiting from insider information. They’ve also asserted he pushed legislation to help a medical implant maker whose stock he’d purchased.

Price has said he’s done nothing wrong. It’s illegal for members of Congress to engage in insider trading.

His close confirmation was the fourth consecutive Senate clash over a Cabinet nominee that closely followed party lines.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was confirmed 52-47, after Warren was punished for reading a 1986 letter by Coretta Scott King criticizing him. Betsy DeVos became Education secretary by 51-50, thanks to a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence.

And Former Exxon-Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson became secretary of state by 56-43.

Those close tallies are a departure from most Cabinet votes, in which the Senate usually grants overwhelming approval in a show of deference to letting presidents choose their teams.

Just four of 31 votes for then-President Barack Obama’s Cabinet vacancies drew at least 40 “no” votes, as did only two of 34 votes for Cabinet positions under President George W. Bush.

During that period, the closest tally for health secretary before Price was the 65-31 roll call for Obama’s 2009 pick, Kathleen Sibelius.</s>Tom Price Confirmed As Secretary Of Health And Human Services

The Senate early Friday confirmed Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as the new secretary of Health and Human Services.

He was approved by a party-line vote of 52 to 47. Democrats were concerned that the conservative congressman wants to pare down government health programs. They were also troubled by lingering ethics questions over Price's investments.

In his new role, Price, a retired orthopedic surgeon from suburban Atlanta who served as chairman of the House Budget Committee, is expected to implement the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act which his colleagues in Congress have been working on this year.

Price will oversee a $1 trillion agency, the largest budget of any Cabinet secretary. In addition to Obamacare, HHS administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs and oversees the National Institutes of Health, among other programs and agencies.

With Price's confirmation, HHS now has as its leader a budget hawk who has proposed replacing the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are tied to income, with tax credits to purchase insurance. Tax credits are not determined by an individual's income level.

Price also supports the proposal by House Speaker Paul Ryan to turn Medicare into what some call a "voucher" program. Under the plan, beneficiaries would receive "premium support" from the government to buy a Medicare health plan through an exchange. The private plans would compete against the traditional government-run program.

During his confirmation hearing, Price said his goal was that everyone have access to health insurance.

"What I commit to the American people is to keep patients at the center of health care. And what that means to me is making certain every single American has access to affordable health coverage," he said.

Democrats spent hours on Thursday reading stories from their constituents about how the Affordable Care Act helped them, and tried to make the case that Price is a threat to Medicare, Medicaid and health care for people who have ongoing medical conditions.

"Congressman Price's budget in the House cuts nearly $500 million from Medicare and turns it into a voucher program," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., during the 30-hour debate.

The Obamacare replacement Price proposed included offering tax credits starting at $1,200 a year to allow people to buy health insurance, boosting the use of tax-advantaged health savings accounts and limiting the tax deduction companies take for providing health insurance to workers.

Those ideas are the core of what Republicans say they want to do to replace the ACA, but the details of how big the tax credits would be, and exactly how the HSAs would be structured are unknown.

During his confirmation, Price was dogged by questions about investments he made in health care-related companies.

Price says he followed all congressional ethics rules, but his well-timed trades made it appear that he could have used his position to influence the price of stocks he owned, or that he received special treatment from companies in which he invested.

Republicans in the Senate were satisfied with his explanations however, and the former congressman will be headed to his new office today.</s>Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia, was confirmed as secretary of health and human services in a vote that took place in the wee hours of Friday morning, providing momentum for Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Consistent with all of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet confirmations this week, Price narrowly won confirmation on a 52 – 47 vote.

Democrats opposed Price because of his determination to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, one of Trump’s signature campaign promises, as well as his opposition to abortion rights and his support for cutting Medicare and Medicaid.

Price — a physician who was director of the orthopedic clinic at Atlanta’s bustling Grady Memorial Hospital before he entered politics — is expected to usher through any changes in health care policy.

“It’s clear to me Congressman Price’s policies do not have the best interest of the people I represent in Michigan at heart,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan.

More than 12 million people signed up for coverage through the ACA nationwide this year, according to The Associated Press. According to the AP’s analysis, a clear majority of them live in states that Trump carried in November.

Related: Trump’s Health Secretary Pick Favors the Rich, Not the Sick, Experts Argue

Price came under fire during his confirmation process for trading stocks and engaging in other financial activity that would be affected by legislation he introduced in the House, where he was chairman of the Budget Committee. Public interest groups, as well as Democratic lawmakers like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, have asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate his transactions.

With Price’s confirmation, focus could return to Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace the ACA, also known as Obamacare. Trump has said the administration’s vision for health care would come down shortly after Price was confirmed.

It’s the third confirmation of a Cabinet official this week — in a vote pushed back to 2 a.m. as part of the Democrats’ strategy of slow-walking each of Trump’s nominees they oppose.

The Senate stayed in session for 57 straight hours from Monday to Wednesday as Democrats spoke through the night in opposition to the confirmations of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. While Democrats also oppose Price, they adjourned Wednesday night because of fatigue of lawmakers, staff and the non-political employees who staff the Senate floor.

The next nominee up for Senate debate is Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s pick for treasury security. Democrats boycotted a vote in the Finance Committee and are expected to prolong his debate, too. That vote could come Saturday, as Republican leadership had threatened if Democrats required all 30 hours of debate to be used, or Monday.
The United States Senate, in a 52 to 47 vote, confirms physician and U.S. Representative Tom Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.