President Donald Trump’s nomination of Congressman Tom Price, R-Ga., as Secretary of Health and Human Services narrowly cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Wednesday.
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His confirmation by the Republican-controlled US Senate was by a 52-47 along party lines.
The vote on Price follows Senate confirmation of a half-dozen of President Trump’s Cabinet-level appointments – which have progressed with little of the comity that traditionally has defined the chamber’s culture.
Democrats opposed Price, a Republican retired surgeon, for his commitment to repealing the Affordable Care Act, his anti-abortion rights stance, and his backing of reducing funding for Medicare and Medicaid, NBC News reported.
Having Price at the helm of HHS “gives us a committed ally” in fight against Obamacare, House Speaker Paul Ryan said.
Weeks later, The Wall Street Journal found that “the cabinet nominee was one of fewer than 20 USA investors who were invited past year to buy discounted shares of the company – an opportunity that, for Mr. Price, arose from an invitation from a company director and fellow congressmen”.
Price has supported ending federal payments to Planned Parenthood, and reducing Medicaid and giving states more power to shape the healthcare programme for the poor. Debra L. Ness, president of the organization, said the appointment “could have tragic consequences for the health and economic security of millions of people”.
But elevating Price makes it more hard for Republicans to hide the ball.
Price has served in the U.S. House representing Georgia since 2004. He is a remarkable individual and we should take comfort in his nomination to this important position because he has years of service and years of experience working within our nation’s health care system.
Democrats initially hoped these reports would be enough to derail Price’s legislation.
Price assured lawmakers that he purchased the stock at the market price and did not receive any stock tips or nonpublic information about the company.
Republican John Cornyn said the Democrats’ “obstruction” of Cabinet nominees was a rejection of Trump’s victory in the election and threatened “the stability of the government and that peaceful transition of power” from Obama.
Price will be the first physician to lead the Department of Health and Human Services since Dr. Louis W. Sullivan stepped down at the end of the first Bush administration in January 1993.
However, there have also been some negative reactions to Price’s confirmation. The ACA has been the greatest advance for women’s health in a generation; it provided coverage to 20 million previously uninsured people and millions with pre-existing conditions who could not get insurance before it became law.
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The floor vote on Price was scheduled for the early hours of Friday morning.
