Dole: Get Health Secretary confirmed so she can get in front door and begin work

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

The nominee for Health Secretary, Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan.), was told by members of the Senate Finance Committee that the job of reforming America’s healthcare system would not be easy.

Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) told Sebelius, “The time for incremental change has passed. It is increasingly difficult to fix the system one step at a time. We cannot add 46 million uninsured to a broken system, but we also cannot bend the growth curve of health spending without covering the uninsured.”

Sebelius noted the challenges she faces if confirmed, stating, “Health care costs are crushing families, businesses, and government budgets. Since 2000, health insurance premiums have almost doubled and an additional 9 million Americans have become uninsured. Since 2004, the number of “under-insured” families - those who pay for coverage but are unprotected against high costs - rose by 60 per cent.”

In order to tackle the rising costs associated with health reform, Sebelius told the committee she will work with both sides to explore all options in an attempt to reduce costs. She said, “should I be confirmed, healthcare reform would be my mission.”

Taking on a more light hearted tone, former Senator Robert Dole (R-Kan.), asked that the committee work hard to get Sebelius confirmed quickly to get the work started. He said, “It would really help if you could get her confirmed before the recess. She can’t even get into the building and we are a little behind anyway and this is the issue of the year. So if you guys can all, you know, do something.”

Chairman Baucus laughing, at Dole’s comments, said, “You are absolutely right and that’s why we are having this hearing. So we can get her confirmed this week.”

All members of the committee commended the president’s selection of Sebelius as Health Secretary nominee and commended, also, her record on fighting health care inequality as Governor of Kansas.

Health Secretary Nominee says “Action is not a choice. It is a necessity.”

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

“We face an obesity epidemic that threatens to make our children the first generation of American children to face life expectancy shorter than our own....We now must guard against man-made as well as natural disasters, as disease has become a weapon. Perhaps most importantly, we face a health system that burdens families, businesses and government budgets with sky-rocketing costs. Action is not a choice, it is necessity,” said Governor Kathleen Sebelius at her nomination hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Senate today.

Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), was back chairing his first Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing since suffering from cancer earlier last month and looked in high spirits, smiling throughout the hearing. Kennedy said, “Over the past ten months I’ve seen our health care system up close. I’ve benefited from the best of medicine, but we have too many uninsured Americans. We have sickness care and not health care.”

In less high spirits appeared to be Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), who became frustrated and irritated with the answers provided on his questions regarding employer provided health insurance, McCain said, "these are pretty straightforward questions, Governor, I would think.”

During their exchange, Governor Sebelius told the committee in response to Senator McCain’s questions that she favored public insurance in addition to private insurance.

McCain asked whether she supported a government run health insurance plan, to which Governor Sebelius responded, “If you are talking about insuring all 15 million Americans...if the question is do I support a public option side-by-side with private insurers in a health insurance exchange, yes I do.”

Testifying in support of Governor Sebelius was Former Senator Bob Dole, who told the Committee she would work well with both parties. He said, “people understand that when the D’s and R’s work together it’s going to be successful.”

In closing, Governor Sebelius said, “we have by far the most expensive health system in the world. We spend 50 per cent more per person than the next most costly nation. Americans spend more on healthcare than housing or food. General Motors spends more on healthcare than steel.”

Nominee for Director of CIA may lack experience

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

Leon Panetta, nominee for Director of the CIA, was quizzed today in a full committee room by the Senate Select Intelligence Committee.

In his opening statement Panetta said: “First I want to work with the professionals to get into the detail of all our operations and to make certain that we are responding to our fundamental intelligence needs...Second, I want to focus on improving intelligence coordination and collaboration...Third, I want to rebuild a close working and consultative relationship with Congress.”

The hearing focused on Panetta’s lack of experience in the intelligence field, raised by Senator Kit Bond (R-Mo), Vice Chairman of the committee.

Senator Bond said: “Many of us were surprised by your nomination because we believed that the next CIA Director should have a professional intelligence background, which you clearly do not have. This raises a number of questions that I will seek your answers to today”.

Panetta began his career in the Army as an intelligence office, then went on to working with policy-makers and to serve in Congress. He leads a complex federal agency and has served as a White House Chief of Staff. At the White House Panetta worked on many sensitive issues. He has also worked with the Iraq Study Group, relying on CIA insight and other intelligence agencies.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla) posed a hypothetical situation to Mr. Panetta about his actions as Director of the CIA if a CIA member leaked classified information. Mr. Panetta responded to the committee that he would see this as a “breach” which he would alert to the committee and would “recommend pulling their clearance”.

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) questioned Panetta on his views on Osama Bin Laden. Mr. Panetta said: “One of the responsibilities we have is to go after our worst enemy and that is Osama Bin Laden...there is a continuing effort to ensure that we try to do everything possible to try to find him and that would be one of my priorities frankly, to make sure that we do in fact find him and bring him to justice.”

Panetta was also questioned on torture, sharing intelligence, guantanamo bay and potential threats. The hearing lasted for over 120 minutes.

U.S. Senate quizzes Deputy Attorney General Nominee David Ogden

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

Deputy Attorney General Nominee for the Justice Department, David Ogden, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to talk about his record.

Ogden gave his statement before a full committee room, with his mother, wife, children, sister, and nieces in attendance.

Mr. Ogden said: "I am grateful and humbled that President Obama and Attorney General Holder have placed such confidence in me".

Committee Chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) said: "...it is time to restore the Justice Department and to restore the American people's confidence in Federal law enforcement. Today, the Committee continues the work of restoring the Department.”

In his opening testimony Mr. Ogden said: "I recognize that the challenges facing the Department may be as great as they ever have been. Since September 11, 2001, the Department has taken on a role at the heart of our national security during a war that has reached our homeland. It has the role as being the lead federal law enforcement agency and that role is urgent because crime across a range of fronts threatens our communities, our economy, and our personal rights plus our security. The Justice Department's role as protector of the public first has never been more important, given unprecedented budgetary demands.”

Members of the Committee noted the numerous letters of support that had been submitted in support of his defense of his nomination, from both Republican and Democrats and from the Military.

Former Senator John Warner (R-Va) gave a testimony in support of Ogden's nomination today, and Senator Jim Webb (D-Va) and Mark Warner (D-Va) have submitted written support to the Committee Clerk.

Ogden was asked about his opinion on a number of high profile issues during today's hearing. The committee asked Ogden about his stance on abortion, the death penalty, interrogation, torture, classified information and pornography.

David Ogden is currently a partner with WilmerHale, LLP where he works in the firm's Regulatory and Government Affairs and Litigation/Controversy Departments, which he joined in 2001. Additionally he is co-chair of the Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice Group, and a member of the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation; Complex Commercial Litigation; International Arbitration; Public Policy and Strategy; and Defense, National Security and Government Contracts Practice Groups.

There are eight nominees that will have hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee for this position.