The Senate Finance Committee voted 21-3 yesterday to approve Sylvia Mathews Burwell's nomination as HHS secretary.
The committee held a confirmation hearing last week for Ms. Burwell, the current director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Obama administration's pick to replace Kathleen Sebelius. At the hearing, she said the government should "use the full force of the law" to recover federal money spent improperly on flawed state exchanges. She also told the Senate Finance Committee she would work with Congress on possible Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act improvements.
"There are significant challenges to address in healthcare, child welfare and family service, so Ms. Burwell will need to hit the ground running at HHS," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a news release announcing the committee's vote. "That's why it's so important for the Senate to take up Ms. Burwell's nomination promptly. She will be a force for bringing people together in a bipartisan way and forging common ground."
Before the Senate Finance Committee hearing, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee conducted Ms. Burwell's first confirmation hearing. During that hearing, she called the technical problems that plagued the federal exchange site, HealthCare.gov, "unacceptable" and said repairing any remaining issues would be a top priority for her as the head of HHS.
Ms. Burwell's nomination will now move to the Senate floor for a vote. Her confirmation seems likely. She has garnered support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including prominent Senate Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
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