[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 36 (Monday, September 11, 2006)]
[Page 1566]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Resignation of Mark B. McClellan as Administrator of 
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

September 5, 2006

    Mark McClellan has served my administration in a number of pivotal 
positions and in doing so has bettered the lives of millions of 
Americans. He played an instrumental role in transforming the Nation's 
health care system, and his efforts will continue to make a difference 
for generations.
    Mark first served as a member of my Council of Economic Advisors, 
focusing on health care and related economic issues. He then became head 
of the Food and Drug Administration, where he provided steady leadership 
to empower consumers and to ensure rapid access to products that are 
safe and effective. For the last 2\1/2\ years, Mark has run the Center 
for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Department of Health and Human 
Services. As CMS Administrator, Mark was critical in the successful 
implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit--the most 
important health care reform in 40 years. He has also worked to ensure 
that price and quality information are available to consumers and led 
reforms that brought principles of private sector competition to 
Government programs, thereby moving the country toward a system in which 
Americans will receive better care at lower overall prices.
    Mark has been a trusted adviser, and he leaves behind a strong 
record of accomplishment. I wish all the best to Mark, his wife, 
Stephanie, and their children.