Congressional Record—House H316
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H316 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 21, 2010 and concern for them and their fami- and apparently a good number of the gram so that when this rather large re- lies. American people’s opinion—what’s the structuring of one-sixth of the Nation’s As for those of us in Congress, we are matter with this discussion. economy is passed that we’re going to committed to doing everything in our b 1530 have our best talent on the ground, power to ensure a swift and safe con- whether you agree with it or not. We clusion to this crisis. The people of I want to start with the head up are now 1 year and 1 day into the Haiti and those affected by this trag- there in the Operation game. It’s called Obama administration, and we have edy are in my thoughts and our fam- a ‘‘brain freeze.’’ I’ve politely taken yet to have a nominee put forward for ily’s prayers. out ‘‘brain freeze.’’ Instead, we’ve put that position. Certainly, we have not in ‘‘CMS administrator.’’ CMS is basi- f had anyone confirmed for that posi- cally the organization that runs the tion. HEALTH CARE Medicare program in the United States Mr. MCCOTTER. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under of America. It has a budget of about Mr. MCCOTTER. Would the gen- the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- $700 billion a year. It’s bigger than the tleman yield for a question? uary 6, 2009, the gentleman from Ohio Pentagon, and it will be tasked over Mr. LATOURETTE. I’d be happy to. (Mr. LATOURETTE) is recognized for 60 the next little bit with implementing Mr. MCCOTTER. Obviously, the minutes. the rules and procedures of this health President has had a very eventful first Mr. LATOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I care legislation, either bill or some year since his inauguration. am going to be joined during the course modification of the bill, and putting Would it not be fair to say that the of this hour by Representative THAD this thing into place. rush of events and the focus on getting MCCOTTER of Michigan and perhaps So you would think, if you’re a sup- things done has precluded this position others who may chime in during the porter of this health care reform that from being filled? course of the hour. is barreling through the Congress, well, Mr. LATOURETTE. Well, I think Mr. Speaker, the big news on Capitol I hope we’ve got a topnotch guy or gal there is some of that, but it’s inter- Hill this week and the big news around in charge at CMS. esting that you should bring that up. the country was the Senate race in Sadly, the reason that there is a Just yesterday—and this isn’t unique Massachusetts where, for the first time question mark up there is that there is to the Obama administration. Every since the 1970s, a Republican, Senator- no administrator at CMS. As a matter administration has a lot of jobs to fill. elect BROWN, has been elected in the of fact, the last time there was a con- Just yesterday, the President of the State of Massachusetts. You know, firmed administrator at the Medicare United States sent up 40 nominations there are a lot of maps around this oversight administration was in 2006, to the Senate to consider for confirma- place, blue States, red States, and Mas- October 2006. Of course, people who tion under the Constitution so that sachusetts is one of those States that watch the calendar know that that they could begin to serve. There were they really should come up with their wasn’t all on President Obama’s watch. some judges; there were some U.S. at- own color of blue. I mean, it is the It was in the last couple of years of torneys; there were some United States deepest of blue States. President George W. Bush’s adminis- marshals. Interestingly enough, I found And so it was certainly a surprising tration. He nominated a fellow by the that he even had time to name two event, and a lot of pundits and a lot of name of Kerry Weems, who was acting people to fill vacancies on the Marine people are scratching their head and administrator, but the Democrat-con- Mammal Commission, but not one of saying, Well, what caused this? Is it trolled Senate refused to confirm Mr. those 40 is the new director of CMS. voter anger? Are they mad at Repub- Weems. Quite frankly—and we’re not going licans? Are they mad at Democrats? The interesting thing about it as you to talk about national security today— Are they mad at everybody? Or how know—because people get accused of you know, his nominee for the TSA, about this health care discussion? And playing politics all the time. So you who are the folks who frisk you at the some of the exit polling that went on say, What was Mr. Weems? Was Mr. airport, just withdrew. We don’t have up in Massachusetts indicated that, Weems like Rush Limbaugh? Was he any nominee in the pipeline for that ei- yeah, people were concerned. People like Glenn Beck? Was he some dyed-in- ther. were concerned about the way that the-wool partisan? Actually, Mr. Mr. MCCOTTER. Will the gentleman both the House and the Senate health Weems—and this was written about yield again? care bill were being fashioned, the him by one of the analysts: The nomi- Mr. LATOURETTE. I’d be happy to. process that was being used, and then nation of Mr. Weems will be a depar- Mr. MCCOTTER. I just want to be some of the provisions that were in it ture from tradition. Historically, CMS clear that, despite the fact that there as well. administrators have either been aca- has been no name forwarded—let alone And so I thought during the course of demics or lobbyists. The academics confirmed—for the position at CMS, we this hour we would spend some time often lack leadership and executive do have two appointees of the Marine talking about at least what in my opin- skills. The lobbyists often come across Mammal Commission. ion are some of the difficulties with the as too Machiavellian. Mr. LATOURETTE. We do. way things are going with the health Since CMS was formed in 1978—it Mr. MCCOTTER. In fairness, as a De- care discussion, and as well as Mr. used to be called HCFA—there have troiter, it sounds like a Matt Millen MCCOTTER’s observations as well. been 30 administrators. Mr. Weems draft. Before coming to the Congress, I was would have been the first adminis- I yield back. a prosecuting attorney and I tried trator, if the Senate had chosen to con- Mr. LATOURETTE. I thank the gen- cases in front of juries, and I always firm him in 2006, who actually was a tleman very much. learned that people pay attention a lit- career person who had worked his way So, if you begin at the head, clearly tle bit more and they learn a little bit up within the CMS structure. He was we have a problem in that we don’t better, Mr. Speaker, with their eyes not a political hack; he wasn’t a polit- have anybody in charge should this than they do with their ears. So I ical appointee, but for reasons known health care legislation pass and be- brought with me a visual aid to help us only to them, the Democratic majority come law. during the course of this discussion. in the Senate didn’t want to confirm We next go down to the Adam’s With apologies to Hasbro, when I was him. Apple. I left the Adam’s apple on the a young person growing up, one of our Now fast-forward to a year ago al- chart because the way this thing has favorite things to do, if the size D bat- most exactly, and President Obama is gone—and it really epitomizes the en- tery was working, was to play the inaugurated. You would think that, if tire last year. We were told we had to game of Operation. We have modified one of the big national priorities that have an $800 billion stimulus bill by the Hasbro game a little bit so we can we’re going to talk about is health President’s Day. Nobody knows why. talk about, from head to toe, some of care, one of the first nominations or It’s not because we’re going to spend it the difficulties with—again, in my maybe the second nomination would be on Presidential stuff, but we needed to opinion and Mr. MCCOTTER’s opinion to get somebody in charge of this pro- have the stimulus bill, so we got it VerDate Nov 24 2008 01:20 Jan 22, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K21JA7.066 H21JAPT1 jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with HOUSE January 21, 2010 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H317 done. Now, people were embarrassed. It as we all know, did, in fact, protect in the gentleman’s district are on was 1,200-pages long. It was finally AIG bonuses, and was signed into law. Medicare Advantage. I have about written in its final form at midnight on What is also in the stimulus bill is a 14,000 people. The satisfaction rating is Thursday, and then we voted on it on provision to set up the comparative ef- high, but there will be no more Medi- Friday.