President Obama's nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) to be secretary of health and human services advanced to the full Senate this morning, following a vote of 15-8 by the Finance Committee.
Two Republicans, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Pat Roberts of Kansas, voted yes.
The nomination hit a speed bump regarding the issue of abortion. Senate Finance Republicans had asked her how much money George Tiller, a Wichita doctor who performs late-term abortions, had contributed to her political campaigns, and Sebelius, in a written response, said that the total between 1994 (when she was first elected state insurance commissioner) and 2001 was $12,450.
The Associated Press then revealed that Tiller had given her an additional $23,000 between 2000 and 2002 (when she was first elected governor). Sebelius called it an oversight. She also, prior to her confirmation hearing, corrected her tax returns and paid more than $7,000 in back taxes because of improper deductions.
President Obama's first nominee for HHS secretary, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, withdrew his name from consideration on Feb. 3 because of unpaid taxes.
No word yet on whether Republicans intend to filibuster the nomination. Anti-abortion groups have urged the Senate to reject her.
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