Harkin lifts hold on Tavenner nomination to lead CMS

May 9 2013

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the timing for a Senate vote on her confirmation as head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is unclear.

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Harkin Withdraws Hold On Tavenner; Reid Says Timing For Vote Is Unclear
Sen. Tom Harkin Tuesday removed the hold he had placed on the nomination of Marilyn Tavenner to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and said he would no longer stand in the way of a Senate vote despite actions by the Obama administration that he said violate 'both the letter and the spirit' of the 2010 health care law. But after Harkin announced his decision on the Senate floor, Majority Leader Harry Reid said it was unclear when the Senate would vote on the nomination (Carey, 5/7).

CQ HealthBeat: Harkin Lifts Hold On Tavenner To Head CMS
Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin Tuesday lifted the hold on Marilyn Tavenner's nomination to be administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after making another impassioned plea on the Senate floor that the Obama administration stop taking money out of the health care law's prevention fund (Reichard and Norman,5/7).

Medscape: Harkin Lifts Block On Vote For CMS Administrator
While blasting the White House for reneging on its commitment to prevention programs, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on Tuesday said he won't block a vote on the confirmation of acting Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Marilyn Tavenner. Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, placed a "hold" on the nomination last month to protest the Obama administration's budget plans to divert money from the prevention fund to instead help enrollment in new health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (Crane, 5/7).

Quad City Times: Harkin Releases Hold In Battle Over Wellness Funds
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Tuesday he would allow the nomination for a key administration post to go forward, even as he accused the Obama administration of reneging on its commitment to a part of the Affordable Care Act. Harkin said on the Senate floor Tuesday he would release the hold he had put on Marilyn Tavenner to be the new head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an important agency in the implementation of the law (Tibbetts, 5/7).

Modern Healthcare: Harkin Lifts Hold On Tavenner Nomination To Head CMS
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on Tuesday lifted the hold he placed on the nomination of acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner to be confirmed as the agency's permanent administrator. On the Senate floor, the Iowa Democrat said he placed the hold on Tavenner's nomination before a congressional recess late last month because Tavenner had signed a directive in March that channeled funds away from the health reform law's Prevention and Public Health Fund (5/7).

The Hill: Harkin Lifts Hold On Top Healthcare Nominee
Harkin was upset about cuts the administration has made to the healthcare law's prevention and public health fund. He reiterated those objections during a floor speech Tuesday but said he would allow Tavenner's nomination to move forward (Baker, 5/7).

Des Moines Register's Iowa Politics: Harkin Drops Hold On Obama Nominee, But Still Bitter About Raid On Health-Care Fund
The Iowa senator championed Obama's Affordable Care Act when it passed Congress in 2010. But he used sharp words on the Senate floor today to criticize his fellow Democrat's decision to raid the prevention fund. ... Last month, Harkin invoked his frustrations by using his Senate power to delay confirmation of Marilyn Tavenner as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is implementing much of the Affordable Care Act. The senator announced today that he was lifting his hold on the nomination, but he made clear that he's still upset about the issue (Leys, 5/7).