Dr. Mehmet Oz, the TV celebrity, dodged queries about Republican plans to cut health insurance for the poor, and emerged unscathed on his ties to major industries.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, declined to commit to opposing cuts to Medicaid, a government program that provides health care coverage to millions of Americans and that Republicans are eyeing for steep cuts.

British provocateur Russell Brand lounged on Kennedy’s other side.The celebrity physician known as Dr. Oz, who faced a Senate hearing Friday on his bid to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,