Politico is reporting this afternoon that Don Berwick, the Obama Administration’s controversial recess appointment to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), is bowing to the writing on the wall, and will step down early, on December 2. The recess appointment wasn’t set to expire until the first of the new year.
Senate Republicans were angered by Obama’s recess appointment of Berwick, installing him in the office before the Senate was able to confirm his appointment. Berwick also drew fire from conservative commentators for comments that seemed to endorse health care rationing and his perceived contempt of critics. (Here’s Examiner Editorial Page Editor Mark Tapscott’s take on Berwick last December.)
The White House also announced it plans to nominate Berwick’s deputy, Marilyn Tavenner, to fill the spot permanently.
Per Politico, thanks to the poisoned atmosphere between Senate Republicans and the White House over this position, Tavenner faces a rocky road to confirmation:
It’s not clear that Senate Republicans, who are still stinging over Obama’s recess appointment of Berwick, will be likely to support his successor. It’s also unclear how much appetite the White House and Senate Democrats will have for another CMS confirmation battle.
“I can’t imagine a lot of support for her” among Senate Republicans, a Republican health lobbyist said. “That position always gets sucked into the controversy of the day — Part D, PPACA. That makes confirmation really hard.”
