The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) now has a second-in-command following a 61-37 Senate vote to confirm Andrea Palm as Deputy Secretary. Palm will step into a key operational role within the administration, helping execute the policy priorities laid out by President Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Just a day after the Senate confirmed Palm, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also advanced Chiquita Brooks-LaSure’s nomination to the post of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, but did so with the narrowest of margins on 51-48 procedural vote. While Brooks-LaSure is expected to be confirmed with a final vote prior to the Senate’s next recess on May 28, her confirmation has been a proxy battle over the Biden Administration’s revocation of Texas’ Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver. Another perceived slight could further undermine support and compromise her nomination.
