Sebelius' confirmation delayed 2 weeks

4/6/09 1:12 AM

Kathleen Sebelius will have to wait at least two more weeks to be confirmed as HHS secretary.  She faced a round of questioning before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, but the committee did not vote on her approval before Senate left for a two-week Easter vacation. During the hearing Thursday, Sebelius did not face any questions about her stance on abortion, nor did she receive any questions about her tax issues (see previous post) The Senate's questions mainly centered around Sebelius' stance on universal healthcare. While Sebelius did make a specific endorsement of any existing plan, she did say she agreed with the President's idea of making healthcare affordable for all U.S. citizens. According to the Kansas City Star, this waiting game in Washington could also...

Think again: Tax problems come to haunt another Obama nominee

4/1/09 1:09 AM

Just when it seemed Kathleen Sebelius would make it through Tuesday's initial Congressional hearing with little troubles, the Kansas governor and HHS secretary announced that she paid more than $7,000 in back taxes that had accumulated over three years. Sebelius is just one of many Obama cabinet nominations to be embroiled in controversy over tax filings. Former senator Tom Daschle and Obama's first HHS candidate took his name from consideration after it was reported that he had not paid $140,000 in taxes and interest over several years. It seems Sebelius wanted to get ahead of the curve this time and rightly so. According to an AP report, two senators on the committee that will confirm Sebelius did not find additional problems that needed to be addressed. I don't really see this...

Sebelius' first hearing friendly; real test comes Thursday

3/31/09 5:06 PM

Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius made it through her first confirmation hearing as Health and Human Services secretary without a hitch. This isn't really a surprise, considering the hearing was more of an introduction to Congress than an actual confirmation hearing. According to a report from the New York TImes, former Kansas senator Bob Dole and Kansas senator Pat Roberts gave glowing introductions of Sebelius and highlighted her valuable experience as Kansas governor. In another report from the Boston Globe, Sebelius "vowed to make healthcare reform her 'mission'" as HHS secretary in her prepared statement to Congress. Sebelius will start facing the tougher questions Thursday when she goes before the Senate Finance Committee, which votes on her qualifications and...

Musings on Brownback support; no hearing scheduled yet

3/10/09 5:11 PM

Kansas senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts have both publicly supported Kathleen Sebelius' nomination as HHS secretary, drawing the ire of many in the Religious Right. Roberts and especially Brownback have strong conservative backgrounds and reputations in Senate and in the state of Kansas, which puzzles some people why they would support a nominee who has been ardently pro-choice. Maybe they know that Kansas needs the attention, which would not surprise me for the 72-year-old Roberts, who really has nothing to lose by supporting Sebelius except respect by some state Democrats. Brownback, on the other hand, has much to gain by Sebelius' possible relocation to Washington, according to some publications. Brownback has announced his intentions to run for Kansas governor in 2010, and... 1 comment

Sebelius to be questioned on abortion stance

3/3/09 12:57 AM

I just read an article from cnn.com that says Sebelius will not be questioned based on her qualifications, but mostly on her pro-choice stance with the abortion issue. I find this ridiculous that a possible candidate for the president's cabinet would be questioned because of her stance on the abortion issue. She is not a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court - where this issue is actually decided - and the abortion issue historically has been and should be decided at the state level. That will not stop the religious right, which seems to be reeling from the end of President Bush's term and some lackluster elections. According to the CNN article, "religious conservatives could use Sebelius as a warm-up for the seemingly inevitable fight." That inevitable fight is the possible...