rssGOP Preventing Confirmation Vote for Surgeon General
Monday, October 26, 2009 at 2:01 pm
- 10 Comments
Following up on Daphne’s piece about the hold-up on Dawn Johnsen’s nomination to head the Office of Legal Counsel, this Roll Call story by Jessica Brady got published on Saturday, so it hasn’t received much attention. It should. Regina Benjamin, the president’s nominee for surgeon general, is being kept out of her job because of a Republican hold. (Hat tip: Steve Benen.)
Benjamin was unanimously approved by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Oct. 7, but Senate Republicans are holding up all [Department of Health and Human Services] nominees over a so-called gag order on insurance companies that have been critical of Democratic efforts to reform health care.
“We’ve not received any recent calls from the administration about their nominee,” a senior Republican aide said. “There won’t be any time agreements for confirmation of HHS nominees until their actions have been fully reviewed.”
At issue is an investigation of insurance companies by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a division of the HHS, which announced the probe last month after a letter surfaced from Humana to seniors critical of the Senate Finance Committee’s health care bill.
CMS officials charged that the letter contained misleading information, a claim Republicans have disputed.
That’s it. Because of that, HHS is working without a surgeon general during the H1N1 outbreak. Local newspapers in the deep South have noticed, and called for Benjamin to get an up-or-down vote, but this issue really hasn’t gotten anywhere in the beltway.
While Benjamin has waited in limbo, Democrats — who ostensibly run the Senate — have held two hearings on whether the president is appointing too many czars.
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10 Comments
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Comment posted October 26, 2009 @ 11:26 pm
There is a global pandemic. Over 1,000 Americans have already died. And the people that the GOP are concerned about protecting are Health Insurance Lobbyists. Nice.
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Comment posted October 27, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
Perhaps the story has not received much attention because most people recognize it’s ridiculous to suggest the GOP is responsible for Senate inaction, in light of the Democrats’ filibuster-proof majority.
I’d also note the Press-Register story touts Benjamin’s ability to promote the Democrats’ health care reform legislation. If that’s really the reason to get her confirmed, then the HHS “gag order” on critical comments would appear to be pertinent, no?
Comment posted October 27, 2009 @ 3:25 pm
Perhaps the story has not received much attention because most people recognize it’s ridiculous to suggest the GOP is responsible for Senate inaction, in light of the Democrats’ filibuster-proof majority.
A “hold” prevents a nominee even coming up for a vote. Any Senator (majority or minority party) can pursue such a parliamentary procedure to stop a vote from going forward.
From wiki:
A “hold” is placed when the Leader’s office is notified that a senator intends to object to a request for unanimous consent from the Senate to consider or pass a measure. A hold may be placed for any reason and can be lifted by a senator at any time. A senator may place a hold simply to review a bill, to negotiate changes to the bill, or to kill the bill. A bill can be held for as long as the senator who objects to the bill wishes to block its consideration.
Holds can be overcome, but require time-consuming procedures such as filing cloture. Holds are considered to be private communications between a senator and the Leader, and are sometimes referred to as “secret holds.” A senator may disclose that he or she has placed a hold.
Money quote: “Holds can be overcome, but require time-consuming procedures such as filing cloture.”
Modern day Republican legislative ideals are abhorrent to me, but they do not lack the fortitude to pursue them. Modern day Democratic legislative ideals are slightly less abhorrent to me, but they lack the fortitude* to pursue them.
* (Actually, it’s more likely a lack of party coherency caused in part by lacking the fortitude to forcefully discipline party members that stray from the party line.)
Tom DeLay was an asshole. A corrupt asshole. But an effective whip. There will never be a Democratic version of Tom DeLay. Maybe that’s a good thing.
Pingback posted October 27, 2009 @ 1:34 pm
[...] have put a hold on the confirmation vote of President Obama’s nominee for Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, who was unanimously [...]
Comment posted October 27, 2009 @ 1:53 pm
While Benjamin has waited in limbo, Democrats — who ostensibly run the Senate — have held two hearings on whether the president is appointing too many czars.
Apparently, some folks are operating under the assumption that Glenn Beck drives the legislative agenda.
God, I hate Republicans, but I fucking despise Democrats. Spineless fucking chattel.
(Yeah, yeah, I know that Feingold hearing was an exercise in “See, it's constitutionally legitimate!” and that The Lieberman hearing was about Lieberman getting his mug on TV, but Jesus Christ on a Segway, grow some fucking balls!)
Comment posted October 27, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
Money quote: “Holds can be overcome, but require time-consuming procedures such as filing cloture.”
Hence the relevance of a “filibuster-proof majority.” Blaming the GOP for failing to schedule a vote is ludicrous.
Comment posted October 27, 2009 @ 7:31 pm
Money quote: “Holds can be overcome, but require time-consuming procedures such as filing cloture.”
Hence the relevance of a “filibuster-proof majority.” Blaming the GOP for failing to schedule a vote is ludicrous.
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