Confirmation of Daschle as HHS Secretary Likely Despite Delay

Although the confirmation of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) as HHS secretary "was supposed to sail through the Senate without trouble, ... the process is taking longer than many expected," and the Senate Finance Committee has not yet scheduled a confirmation hearing, the Washington Times reports. According to the Times, Daschle "is well-liked and respected by most Republicans" and "received a warm, bipartisan welcome" during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee earlier this month. However, the Senate Finance Committee, which decides whether to send Daschle's nomination to the Senate floor, has a "full plate" of business and still is vetting Daschle and other Cabinet designates, according committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) aide Carol Guthrie. The Times reports that Daschle "is expected to be approved" (Lengell, Washington Times, 1/27).

Letter to the Editor
It "is essential that the new administration quickly appoint a new FDA commissioner capable of guiding a strong, fully funded, modernized agency ready to tackle the scientific challenges of this new century," Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, writes in a letter to the editor of The Hill.

He continues, "Over the years, the agency's expert public servants have done a remarkable job as their responsibilities have increased." However, "in the last 12 years, the FDA has had a permanent commissioner for a total of only five-and-a-half years," he writes. The swift appointment of a new FDA commissioner "would be good news for all Americans, but particularly for patients depending on the FDA to provide timely, safe access to innovative medicines that could save their lives," according to Tauzin.

Tauzin writes, "FDA needs a leader who has experience managing a large, complex organization; who has enough scientific expertise to supervise researchers with an array of specialties; who is resilient and passionate about the agency's laudable goals; and who commands the respect of employees, the public and Congress in order to successfully advocate for the resources necessary to reach those goals" (Tauzin, The Hill, 1/26).