Burwell Expected to Be Confirmed as HHS Secretary

Sylvia Mathews Burwell is expected to be confirmed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the afternoon of June 5. The Senate on June 4 cleared the way for a vote on Burwell’s nomination. Senators voted 67-28 to approve a procedural measure limiting debate on Burwell’s nomination to no more than 30 hours, allowing a final confirmation vote to move forward on June 5. If confirmed, Burwell would replace Kathleen Sebelius, who announced her resignation in April but agreed to stay on until a successor is confirmed. Smooth Sailing in Senate Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget, has sailed through Senate committee hearings and a committee vote. The Senate Finance Committee May 21 approved Burwell’s nomination by a vote of 21-3. Committee Republicans Pat Roberts (Kan.), John Cornyn (Texas), and John Thune (S.D.) voted no. On May 14, Burwell appeared at a confirmation hearing held by the Senate Finance Committee, where she received praise from Republicans and Democrats. On May 8, she appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which shares jurisdiction with the Finance Committee over the HHS but without voting authority on nominations. During the hearings, Burwell demonstrated a mastery of the Affordable Care Act, including health spending issues, while deflecting efforts by Republican lawmakers to get her to commit to specific policy positions. A Harvard graduate, Burwell is a veteran of the Clinton administration, where she served in a variety of positions, including as a deputy to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew when he was President Bill Clinton’s budget director. Before joining the Obama administration, Burwell was president of the Walmart Foundation, the charitable organization with ties to Walmart stores. For much of the 2000s, the worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the $40 billion fund that finances global health and poverty eradication programs. Burwell has a reputation for strong organizational skills and for navigating the bureaucracy of government.