[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 15, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3518-S3519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Nomination of Marilyn Tavenner
Mr. President, if I might, one other issue I want to address is the
nomination of Marilyn Tavenner.
Marilyn Tavenner has been nominated to be Administrator for the
Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, otherwise known as CMS. As
head of CMS, Ms. Tavenner would be in charge of administering Medicare,
Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, among others.
Roughly one in three Americans relies on health coverage under the
jurisdictions of CMS--one in three. This includes 50 million Medicare
patients, 56 million Medicaid patients, and more than 5.5 million
children in the Children's Health Insurance Program. In my home State
of Montana, 167,000 seniors and 8,300 military retirees rely on
Medicare alone.
Marilyn Tavenner is an experienced health care professional. She has
proven herself to be a strong leader, and I believe she is the right
woman to lead CMS, a view shared by my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle.
Ms. Tavenner is a proud native Virginian and her congressional
delegation, all of them, warmly introduced her--if they were all not
there, in spirit--at a confirmation hearing before the Finance
Committee last month. Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and
Republican House majority leader Eric Cantor all spoke on her behalf.
Here is what House majority leader Cantor said:
I don't think there is any secret that I differ with the
Obama administration in a lot of matters in health care
policy . . . but if there is anyone that I trust to try to
navigate [these] challenges, it is Marilyn Tavenner.
Two weeks ago, the Finance Committee approved Ms. Tavenner's
nomination with a unanimous vote. She has earned this broad support
from both sides of the aisle and the confidence of many of us because
of her demonstrated abilities.
She started as a nurse, quickly rose through the ranks to become a
hospital administrator, served 4 years as Virginia's Secretary of
Health and Human Resources before joining CMS in 2010, and she has
served as acting administrator for the last year and a half. I am
confident we will get a strong vote for this nomination because Marilyn
Tavenner has a reputation for being a pragmatist and a person who
doesn't give up.
One story I wish to share--and this is important--is of Marilyn
working the night shift in the intensive care unit at Johnston-Willis
Hospital in Richmond, VA, as a nurse. At 2 a.m. a rescue squad brought
in a young woman to the emergency room. She had been in a terrible car
accident and crashed through the windshield of her old Volkswagen
bug. Badly injured and having suffered massive blood loss, she was
pronounced dead. But Ms. Tavenner and the doctors went to work to
revive her. The surgeon on call told reporters:
We came up with a game plan, and it was right on target. We
used about 60 units of blood. Marilyn was very supportive in
everything . . . The patient ultimately walked out of the
hospital.
That is Marilyn Tavenner. She doesn't give up. We need that type of
leader at CMS, believe me. Her experience in health care is real, it is
varied, and it will serve us well in this position.
One final note. As someone pointed out, CMS has operated without a
confirmed administrator for several years, so I am glad we are moving
forward with this nomination. We need a confirmed administrator, with
all the work she has to do, especially implementing the Affordable Care
Act. That was an essential bill that created good law. In a few months
the health care marketplaces will be open for enrollment, and tax
credits and subsidies will be available to help families and small
businesses pay for health care. It is a critical time to have someone
with Ms. Tavenner's experience confirmed and in charge at CMS. She has
done a good job in the past, and she will do a good job in the future.
I urge my colleagues to support me in supporting her nomination.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I support the nomination of Marilyn
Tavenner to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, CMS. I strongly support her nomination and was sorry
to miss today's vote. I voted for her confirmation in the Finance
Committee and would have done so today as well.
It has been over 6 years since CMS has had a confirmed Administrator,
and the agency will benefit from having someone with Ms. Tavenner's
skills and expertise at the helm. Her experience as the Secretary of
Health and Human Resources in Virginia and with the Hospital
Corporation of America as well as the time she has already served
[[Page S3519]]
as Acting Administrator and Principal Deputy Administrator of CMS have
prepared her well for the challenges and opportunities she will
confront in this position.
I thank her for her willingness to serve at this important time, and
I look forward to working with her in the months and years
ahead.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is:
Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of William H.
Orrick, III, of the District of Columbia, to be United States District
Judge for the Northern District of California?
Mrs. BOXER. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey)
and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) are necessarily
absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Tennessee (Mr. Corker).
Further, if present and voting the Senator from Tennessee (Mr.
Corker) would have voted ``no.''
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blumenthal). Are there any other Senators
in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 56, nays 41, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 125 Ex.]
YEAS--56
Baldwin
Baucus
Begich
Bennet
Blumenthal
Boxer
Brown
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Collins
Coons
Cowan
Donnelly
Durbin
Feinstein
Flake
Franken
Gillibrand
Hagan
Harkin
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Hirono
Johnson (SD)
Kaine
King
Klobuchar
Landrieu
Leahy
Levin
Manchin
McCaskill
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Rockefeller
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Stabenow
Tester
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NAYS--41
Alexander
Ayotte
Barrasso
Blunt
Boozman
Burr
Chambliss
Coats
Coburn
Cochran
Cornyn
Crapo
Cruz
Enzi
Fischer
Graham
Grassley
Hatch
Heller
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johanns
Johnson (WI)
Kirk
Lee
McCain
McConnell
Moran
Paul
Portman
Risch
Roberts
Rubio
Scott
Sessions
Shelby
Thune
Toomey
Vitter
Wicker
NOT VOTING--3
Casey
Corker
Lautenberg
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 2
minutes of debate prior to a vote on the Tavenner nomination.
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination
of Marilyn B. Tavenner, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services?
Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
There is a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey)
and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) are necessarily
absent.
The result was announced--yeas 91, nays 7, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 126 Ex.]
YEAS--91
Alexander
Ayotte
Baldwin
Barrasso
Baucus
Begich
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Boxer
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Chambliss
Coats
Coburn
Cochran
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cowan
Donnelly
Durbin
Enzi
Feinstein
Fischer
Flake
Franken
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hagan
Harkin
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Heller
Hirono
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johanns
Johnson (SD)
Kaine
King
Kirk
Klobuchar
Landrieu
Leahy
Levin
Manchin
McCain
McCaskill
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Portman
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Roberts
Rockefeller
Rubio
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Scott
Sessions
Shaheen
Shelby
Stabenow
Tester
Thune
Toomey
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Vitter
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
NAYS--7
Crapo
Cruz
Johnson (WI)
Lee
McConnell
Paul
Risch
NOT VOTING--2
Casey
Lautenberg
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to
reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table, and the
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
____________________