The following article by Lauren Clason and Mary Ellen McIntire was posted on the Roll Call website January 8, 2018:
Political appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services include at least 16 staffers with ties to former Secretary Tom Price and at least 12 with connections to Vice President Mike Penceor Indiana, a review of 129 résumés of appointed staffers in the department shows.
Pence’s influence over the agency can be seen in the appointment of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, who worked closely with the former Indiana governor to expand Medicaid in that state, and the appointment of Verma’s deputy Brian Neale, who currently oversees Medicaid and served as Pence’s health care policy director in Indiana. A number of staffers also have ties to conservative groups close to Pence, such as the Heritage Foundation and anti-abortion organizations.
It’s not surprising that Price, who was elected to seven House terms before being tapped as HHS secretary, brought a tribe of former staffers from throughout his career with him to HHS. During his tenure as a Republican congressman from Georgia, Price focused on health care issues and chaired the Budget Committee.
Alex Azar, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the department after Price stepped down in September amid scrutiny of his taxpayer-funded use of private planes, is set to appear at a confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee. He will likely be confirmed this year.
View the post here.