Article reprinted from "The Pink Sheet" DAILY February 24, 2009
The White House may intervene to try to salvage the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for HHS Secretary. Read more
White House May Battle For Sebelius As HHS Chief With Nomination In Trouble
The White House may intervene to try to salvage the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for HHS Secretary.
While the Obama administration had zeroed in on Sebelius as the choice for HHS secretary, senior advisors to lawmakers on Capitol Hill indicated Sebelius would not make it through the confirmation process and characterized her nomination as finished before it officially started.
However, President Obama is believed to personally want Sebelius at the post and is weighing whether to spend political capital on a battle with social conservatives in the Senate over her nomination. Sebelius is a pro-life Roman Catholic but carried out pro-choice policies as governor.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel could become more seriously involved in the process if President Obama chooses to press for Sebelius as the nominee.
The administration is weighing whether a protracted nomination battle is worth it with the President's budget, health care reform, and implementation of the stimulus plan looming on the political horizon.
In the meantime, the administration continues to vet other candidates. Names under consideration include: Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, and former Health Care Financing Administration (now CMS) chief Nancy-Ann DeParle.
Bredesen was viewed as a serious candidate for the job before liberal advocacy groups torpedoed his nomination. A top aide to Bredesen at the National Governors Association meeting Feb. 22 indicated the chances of the Tennessee governor being nominated for the cabinet post are slim. "He thinks it's very unlikely that he will be offered the job."
- Ramsey Baghdadi
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