Nomination of Governor Kathleen Sebelius: hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, United States Senate

Original publisher: Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2010. LC Number: KF26 .L27 2009r OCLC Number: (OCoLC)712123657 Excerpt: .... It should not be overlooked that the Finance Committee has the primary jurisdiction over this nomination. Because of the overlap in our work and the significant role the Secretary of Health and Human Services will have in the operations of the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health, the HELP Committee has established a tradition of holding a hearing on this important Cabinet-level position. I would also like to thank Governor Sebelius for joining us today and for the opportunity to meet with her earlier. I am hopeful that we will have a strong working relationship, as will our staff. If confirmed, there are going to be areas where we disagree, but my hope and expectation is that we will focus on solutions and, therefore, can produce meaningful results for the hard-working Americans that meet the test of the 80 percent rule. People who have worked with me over time know the 80 percent rule is one of the main rules I always try to follow to get things done. In applying this rule, I try to focus on the 80 percent of the issues the Senate generally agrees, while not fixating on the remaining 20 percent, which are divisive and can sometimes overwhelm the majority of issues that we agree on. One area where I hope we can agree on is healthcare reform. Ensuring access to affordable, quality, and portable healthcare for every American is not a Republican or a Democrat issue. It is an American issue. Our healthcare system is broken, and fixing it is one area where I hope the 80 percent rule comes into play so that common sense reforms can be made. The American people deserve solutions. I also hope we can agree on the process used to advance the healthcare reform. An open, transparent process with a full debate is the best way to achieve a bipar...