The Senate Finance Committee voted 14 to 14 on the nomination of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to be CMS Administrator. The vote deadlocked after the Administration revoked a Texas Medicaid waiver (see below), angering Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and other Committee Republicans, many of whom indicated they had planned to vote for Brooks-LaSure before the waiver rescission. Senate rules allow the tied party-line vote to move forward with an extra procedural step, further delaying the process. The Committee also voted 20 to 8 to advance the nomination of Andrea Joan Palm to be Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Both nominees are expected to be confirmed by the full Senate.
