After a hard-fought battle that was riddled with bitter feelings from both parties, Republican senators won the fight by having U.S. Rep. Tom Price as the new health secretary.

It came down to a party-line vote of 52-47 and now the Georgia Republican congressman will be heading the Health and Human Services Department once he is sworn in. 

Price was President Donald Trump's choice for the job, but it came with a political fight from Democrats. One of them leading the charge is Florida's U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who posted on Facebook that he would refuse to vote for the 62-year-old Price.

Price, a doctor who ran an orthopedic clinic in Atlanta for 20 years and was the medical director of the orthopedic clinic at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital, has been an opponent of the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) and replacing it with tax credits, health savings accounts and high-risk pools for sick, costly consumers.

The former assistant professor of Emory University School of Medicine has also supported ending federal payments to Planned Parenthood, and paring Medicaid and giving states more power to shape the health care program for the poor.

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

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

However, Republicans shot back, stating Price was the right person for the job.

"(Price) knows more about health care policy than just about anyone," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, adding that Price would help "bring stability to health care markets that Obamacare has harmed."

In addition, by 53-46, the Senate ended procedural hurdles to financier Steven Mnuchin's nomination to be Treasury secretary. Final approval for Mnuchin and for physician David Shulkin to be veterans' affairs secretary was set for Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.