Despite Tax Issue, Sebelius Likely To Be Confirmed
The HHS secretary will be responsible for the sweeping healthcare overhaul President Obama and Congressional leaders want done this year. There are currently 47 million uninsured in the United States.
Finance Chairman Max Baucus asked Sebelius if she agreed that every American should be covered. "I absolutely agree," said Sebelius, though she did not directly answer whether owning health insurance should be legally mandatory.
Sebelius told committee members that she'd push to allow drug importation from foreign countries with the equivalent or higher medical standards to the U.S. She also said she supports allowing the government to negotiate drug prices for the Medicare Part D program. That's a hot-button issue, since opponents argue it is unfair for private companies to compete with the Federal Government.
The governor did ease some Republican concerns when she assured Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) that the administration would try to avoid a procedural move called "reconciliation" allowing Democrats to easily pass healthcare reform in the Senate without Republican votes.
If confirmed, Sebelius would also oversee the troubled Food and Drug Administration. The top Republican on Senate Finance, Charles Grassley, brought up a letter from nine FDA whistle blowers to President Obama sent today. The scientists wrote that "sweeping measures are needed to end the systemic corruption and wrongdoing that permeates all levels of the FDA and has plagued the agency for far too long."
Grassley also told the governor in his opening statement that he takes "tax matters here seriously" and that he wanted Sebelius to "address those matters today so that they may be taken into consideration as your nomination moves forward." But that was the only time this nominee's tax problem came up. And the governor certainly did not bring it up on her own.
Sebelius is the President's second nominee for the post. Former Senator Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination in February after it was discovered he'd paid over $140,000 to the IRS in back taxes. The committee must vote on whether to recommend Sebelius for confirmation before the full Senate takes up the nomination.
Jill Jackson is a CBS News Capitol Hill producer.