All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

A nonpartisan congressional research group is backing up a Republican senator's claim that the U.S Health and Human Services Department (HHS) could potentially be inappropriately culling support for President Obama's health care agenda.

The department may have violated laws relating to federal spending on propaganda or lobbying campaigns by hosting its "State Your Support" health care Web site, according to the Congressional Research Service. The CRS gave its legal opinion on the matter at the behest of Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).

The "State Your Support" page provides a form letter to Mr. Obama for citizens to submit, after adding their name and personal information.

"By signing this statement we affirm our commitment to work with you and our Congressional leaders to enact legislation this year which provides affordable, high quality coverage for all Americans," the letter says.

In a letter (PDF) he wrote last month to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Grassley asked the secretary to answer a number of questions about the online letter.

"The use of the official HHS.GOV website for activities that seem to be nothing more than government propaganda raises many serious questions," he wrote.

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This weekend President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 outbreak a national emergency, a move that should help hospitals deal with the surge of patients.

Many people across the country spent their weekend standing in line for hours waiting to get vaccinated against H1N1, and many found that they were too late, turned away when available doses were gone.

As of today, about 16 million doses have been made available. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton says it is doubtful whether the emergency declaration will have any impact on vaccine production.

On Monday Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged the frustration of Americans waiting in lines for vaccinations. "I don't want to minimize the anxiety of a lot of parents who want to get their kids vaccinated, but we do have a vaccine that works.

"It works with everybody over ten years old with one dose, and the immune response hits more quickly than we anticipated, so actually as of today, we'll have about 16.5 million doses available throughout the country."

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First Lady Michelle Obama put a spotlight on the importance of good nutrition and children's health today during a speech at the Department of Health and Human Services, continuing her campaign for healthy eating habits to fight rising obesity rates.

"Nearly a third of all children in this country are overweight or obese… and a third will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetimes," Obama said. "It is a major public health threat right now, so just imagine what we're going to be facing in 20 or 30 years if we don't get on this issue."

The first lady addressed practical problems surrounding good nutrition, such as long work hours, dirty or unsafe neighborhood playgrounds, a lack of healthy food options and cheap, unhealthy take-out food. She said that she struggled with these day-to-day issues herself as a parent before receiving a wake-up call from her daughters' pediatrician.

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Republicans in the Senate have temporarily blocked Governor Kathleen Sebelius' nomination as Health and Human Services secretary from moving forward.

The Kansas governor had been approved by the Senate Finance Committee last Tuesday, and some expected her to be confirmed this week. But when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called for a full Senate vote, his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, objected. McConnell cited the reservations of members of the Senate Finance Committee as his motivation for halting Sebelius' nomination, according to the Associated Press.

Some Republicans have previously objected to Sebelius' support for abortion rights and for her alleged failure to properly report campaign contributions that she received from a doctor who performs abortions, The Washington Post reports.

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The latest Obama Administration nominee with a tax problem, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, faced the Senate Finance Committee today. Confirmation to head Health and Human Services looks likely despite over $7000 in back taxes Sebelius paid after her nomination. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seemed more concerned with the governor's views on tackling healthcare reform.

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.

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Former Sen. Tom Daschle, President Obama's pick to lead the Department of Health And Human Services, is now under fire for recent revelations that he owed about $140,000 in back taxes.

Click here to read more on the controversy.

This afternoon, Daschle will meet with the Senate Finance Committee to discuss the disclosures. But ahead of that meeting, Daschle sent a letter to committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and ranking member Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, to apologize and say he is "deeply embarrassed."

"As you can well imagine, I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed by the errors that required me to amend my tax returns," he said. "I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them."

The full letter is below:

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