President Obama appointed Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) as his nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

If Sebelius is confirmed by the Senate, it will fill the void left by former Senator Tom Daschle’s departure. Daschle withdrew his name after controversy over unpaid taxes.

Along with Sebelius, Obama chose Nancy Ann DeParle as the Administration’s pick to lead the President’s plan to reform the American Health Care System.

Click here to read Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ bio

Former Senator Tom Daschle

Former Senator Tom Daschle, President Obama’s pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, formally withdrew his name from consideration today.

“This morning Tom Daschle asked me to withdraw his nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. I accept his decision with sadness and regret,” President Obama said.

Daschle cited that his failure to pay over $100,000 in income taxes would pose as a “distraction.”

“I have just informed the President that I am withdrawing my name from consideration for Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Daschle. “If 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction….Right now, I am not that leader, and will not be a distraction.”

Former Senator Tom Daschle

Former Senator Tom Daschle, President Elect Obama’s pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, had a chance to sit down with his ex-colleagues on Thursday. Daschle moved one step closer to the new president’s cabinet after completing his first Senate confirmation hearing.

Mr. Daschle was questioned by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee. Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-MA), making his return to the panel for the first time since being diagnosed with brain cancer last May, set the tone of the two-hour hearing in his opening remarks, calling Daschle a “valued friend.” “Tom Daschle is a leader of great integrity and strong dedication,” Kennedy said. “He has admirers all across the country and on both sides of the aisle.” (The Politico, 1-8-09)

Questions for the most part appeared to be friendly from the committee. The senators were mainly interested in how much Daschle plans to work across the aisle with Republicans in order to help shape a bi-partisan plan for health care reform.

The next step for Mr. Daschle is to appear before the Senate Finance Committee, who shares jurisdiction with the HELP committee on some health issues.

Former Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD)

President Elect Barack Obama formally announced former Senator Tom Daschle as his pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday. Daschle is also expected to serve as the Director of the White House Office of Health Reform.

“Year after year, our leaders offer up detailed healthcare plans with great fanfare and promise, only to see them fail, derailed by Washington politics and influence peddling,” said Obama. “This simply cannot continue. The runaway cost of healthcare is punishing families and businesses across our country. We are on an unsustainable course, and it has to change.” (The Hill, Daschle tapped to oversee healthcare reform)

Daschle served as Democratic leader in the Senate from 1995 until he lost a re-election bid in 2004. Recently he wrote a book titled, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis.” In the book, he pushed for universal health care coverage to reach by expanding the federal employee health benefits program to include private employer plans together with Medicaid and Medicare.

“It is a great honor to be nominated to work on an issue that is so close to my heart, leading an organization that touches so many lives at a time that there is so much at stake,” said Daschle. (The Hill, Daschle tapped to oversee healthcare reform)

He also said he looks forward to working “with the people from across the country to find a path forward that makes healthcare in this country as affordable and available as it is innovative.”