Floor Statements

Mr. President, we are now going to proceed to the Strickland nomination. There should be a vote on that within the next couple of hours. We have a very important amendment that is going to be debated this evening, this afternoon, by Senators Dodd and Shelby. It is a substitute to the amendment that is now before the body. It is an extremely important amendment.

I would hope if Senators have any other amendments they want offered to this bill that they should do it. We want to finish this legislation as quickly as we can. It is extremely important we get it done.

We have 3 weeks left in this work period. There are things we have to complete this work period. We have to complete this housing legislation. I would like to do that in the next few days; hopefully, tomorrow. We are not going to have any votes tomorrow after 11 o'clock.

Hopefully, we have all of the cards lined up. We can finish this housing legislation tomorrow. We are going to go to the credit card legislation as soon as we finish this housing legislation. We are going to go, after that, to the procurement legislation. That is a bipartisan piece of legislation with Senators Levin and McCain.

Then, before we leave, we are going to do the supplemental appropriations bill. There is one other piece of work I wanted to do, but we--it doesn't appear that the HELP Committee is going to be able to have that marked up in time for me to do it. Frankly, we probably would not have time to do it anyway; that is, the FDA regulation of tobacco.

So everyone needs to understand this is work we have to do before we leave. Then when we come back, the next work period is only 4 weeks. I have told Senator Kohl that we are going to do the railroad antitrust legislation during that 4-week work period. We are going to do that either the first or second week. Hopefully, no other emergencies come up that get in the way of not allowing us to do that.

Also, because the budget passed yesterday, as soon as we get the 302(b) allocations, which should be soon, we are going to move as quickly as we can to start working on the appropriations bills.

There is a general feeling of the Democrats and Republicans that we want to be able to get some appropriations bills done.

Senators Inouye and Cochran are two of the most valued Senators we have; they are experienced. They should be able to move us through them. So we pretty well understand what the workload is. The main question this afternoon is whether there are other amendments to be offered to the housing bill? During this period, we have a significant number of nominations that we will do our best to work out with the Republicans. We have done pretty well so far. We have quite a chunk still pending. We are concerned about David Hayes, Dawn Johnsen, and a number of others we have to see if we can work out a time agreement on.

Amendment No. 1018

(Purpose: to provide a complete substitute)

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, no one knows the man about whom I am going to speak better than the Presiding Officer, but I wish to talk about Tom Strickland. I can say without reservation or hesitation that Tom Strickland is a good friend and a tremendous public servant. He will be a great Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. That is a fancy name. Basically, what he will be is Ken Salazar's chief of staff. Ken Salazar depends on him and will depend on him even more after his confirmation.

Tom Strickland went to college at Louisiana State University where he was a football player--quite a good athlete--before returning to his native Texas to study law. He graduated from the University of Texas Law School with honors and went to work for the Governor of Colorado.

As Governor Lamm's chief policy adviser in a State where protecting natural resources is a top priority, Tom Strickland worked often with the Interior Department he will now help lead.

Even after Tom joined the private sector, he continued to advance many environmental and natural resources issues on a voluntary basis. He is especially proud of helping to create the Great Outdoors Colorado Program which has protected hundreds of thousands of acres of Colorado's beautiful wilderness and wildlife.

Tom is a well-known and successful lawyer in Colorado. President Clinton appointed Tom to be a U.S. attorney for Colorado in 1999. In a turn of events no one could have anticipated, he was sworn in the day after the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School just outside Denver. The 10th anniversary was observed with sadness just last week.

Tom Strickland has been a managing partner of an internationally respected law firm and the executive vice president of a major health care company. He has been very successful personally. He accumulated some wealth, but because of his belief in public service, he accepted his friend Ken Salazar's call for assistance to become part of the Obama administration. I admire his willingness to leave behind the lifestyle he has acquired to serve his country once again.

Tom's hometown newspapers called him tough and effective. He will certainly be both of those as Secretary Salazar's right-hand man in the Department of the Interior.

Tom Strickland is a strong environmentalist who understands the importance of investing in renewable energy and making America more energy efficient. He also appreciates our environment for its many splendors. Tom and his wife, Beth, are well on their way to achieving a goal they set to visit every national park in America.

It is fitting that someone with such a great appreciation for our Nation's natural wonders will be responsible for protecting and improving America's National Park Service.

Once Tom Strickland is confirmed, our country will be in a better place.

I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I have a letter addressed to the Vice President from Senator Specter notifying the Senate of his decision to switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and that he will now caucus with Senate Democrats. While the letter is dated April 29, it was just received today, Thursday, April 30. I ask unanimous consent that the letter be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today with my good friend Senator Ensign to introduce the Southern Nevada Higher Education Land Act of 2009. This bill will expand opportunities for higher education in one of the nation's fastest growing areas, southern Nevada.

In July 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Land Grant College Act into law, creating a higher education legacy that continues to benefit our country today. That bill, now referred to as the Morrill Act, provided 30,000 acres of Federal land per Member of Congress to establish institutions of higher education in each State. Today, thanks in large part to the foresight of Senator Justin Smith Morrill from Vermont and others from his time, this Nation has one of the finest public university systems in the world.

Among the many universities established as a result of this forward- looking legislation was the University of Nevada. The State's first university was originally founded in Elko in 1874. Two years later, Nevada's state legislature voted to move the university to its current home in Reno. The University of Nevada remained the State's only higher education institution for 75 years.

From these humble beginnings, the State of Nevada has expanded its higher education system to now include two research universities, one State college, one research institution, and four community colleges. The Nevada System of Higher Education, which was formed in 1968 and encompasses all eight institutions, has grown to serve roughly 98,000 degree-seeking students.

As the State of Nevada continues to grow, so too must its university system. With over 2 million residents in 2007, greater Las Vegas is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the Mountain West. In this decade alone, the area's population has grown by 31 percent, five times faster than the Nation as a whole. We must expand higher education opportunities to meet the demands of this growing region.

Consider the following--bthe University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with 28,000 students and 3,300 faculty and staff, is the fourth fastest- growing research university in the Nation. The College of Southern Nevada, also in Las Vegas, serves 41,000 students and its three urban campuses are at near capacity. The town of Pahrump, 60 miles from Las Vegas in rural Nye County, has grown by 20 percent since 2000. Great Basin College's small branch campus in Pahrump uses high school classrooms at night to serve the city's 41,000 residents.

Our legislation will make selected parcels of Federal lands available for the future growth of the university system. Land will be provided for new campuses for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the College of Southern Nevada; and a Pahrump campus of Great Basin College. The current campuses for these three institutions comprise 1,150 acres in southern Nevada. With the passage of this legislation, an additional 2,400 acres will be available for new classroom, research, and residential facilities to help further the missions of these three fine institutions.

To establish these new campuses, three parcels of land would be conveyed from the Bureau of Land Management, BLM, to the Nevada System of Higher Education. Two of the parcels are located in Clark County, within the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, SNPLMA, disposal boundary. The third parcel is located in Pahrump, west of Las Vegas, in Nye County. BLM has designated all of these parcels for disposal because they are surrounded by development and are difficult to manage.

It is important to point out that the land our legislation conveys for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas borders Nellis Air Force Base. Nellis was once on the outskirts of town, but now development is on its doorstep. In order to protect the mission of the Nellis Air Force base, we have put a special provision in the legislation requiring that the university system and Air Force sign a binding agreement regarding development plans for the campus. The university system and the Air Force worked together on this issue for the last 3 years and have found a middle ground that will serve the interests of both parties. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the university system and the Air Force to make this work.

This same land bordering Nellis was once used as a small arms range during World War II and will need to be cleaned up before it can be conveyed to the university system. Because it will take time to accomplish this, our legislation allows the land to be conveyed in phases, as the remediation is completed.

This proposal to expand higher education opportunities in southern Nevada has been welcomed by area leaders. City and county officials have worked closely with the Nevada System of Higher Education to plan the development of world-class facilities in their communities. These facilities are critical to meeting the challenge of diversifying their economies and attracting and growing knowledge industries in the area.

I also want to note that a long-time champion of this legislation, and especially the Pahrump campus, passed away recently. Bob Swadell lived a life of service. He saw action in Korea where he earned a Bronze Star and later worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. More recently, Mr. Swadell devoted a great deal of his time to looking out for the future of

Pahrump. I regret that he will not be with us to see this legislation move forward, but we will certainly keep his vision and spirit with us as we work on this important bill.

Just as the Morrill Act opened up Federal land to expand higher education across the Nation, I am hopeful that this important, though much more modest effort can do the same for the residents of southern Nevada. We look forward to working with Chairman Bingaman, Ranking Member Murkowski and the other distinguished Members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to move this legislation in an expeditious manner.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today with my good friend Senator Ensign to introduce the Southern Nevada Higher Education Land Act of 2009. This bill will expand opportunities for higher education in one of the nation's fastest growing areas, southern Nevada.

In July 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Land Grant College Act into law, creating a higher education legacy that continues to benefit our country today. That bill, now referred to as the Morrill Act, provided 30,000 acres of Federal land per Member of Congress to establish institutions of higher education in each State. Today, thanks in large part to the foresight of Senator Justin Smith Morrill from Vermont and others from his time, this Nation has one of the finest public university systems in the world.

Among the many universities established as a result of this forward- looking legislation was the University of Nevada. The State's first university was originally founded in Elko in 1874. Two years later, Nevada's state legislature voted to move the university to its current home in Reno. The University of Nevada remained the State's only higher education institution for 75 years.

From these humble beginnings, the State of Nevada has expanded its higher education system to now include two research universities, one State college, one research institution, and four community colleges. The Nevada System of Higher Education, which was formed in 1968 and encompasses all eight institutions, has grown to serve roughly 98,000 degree-seeking students.

As the State of Nevada continues to grow, so too must its university system. With over 2 million residents in 2007, greater Las Vegas is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the Mountain West. In this decade alone, the area's population has grown by 31 percent, five times faster than the Nation as a whole. We must expand higher education opportunities to meet the demands of this growing region.

Consider the following--bthe University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with 28,000 students and 3,300 faculty and staff, is the fourth fastest- growing research university in the Nation. The College of Southern Nevada, also in Las Vegas, serves 41,000 students and its three urban campuses are at near capacity. The town of Pahrump, 60 miles from Las Vegas in rural Nye County, has grown by 20 percent since 2000. Great Basin College's small branch campus in Pahrump uses high school classrooms at night to serve the city's 41,000 residents.

Our legislation will make selected parcels of Federal lands available for the future growth of the university system. Land will be provided for new campuses for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the College of Southern Nevada; and a Pahrump campus of Great Basin College. The current campuses for these three institutions comprise 1,150 acres in southern Nevada. With the passage of this legislation, an additional 2,400 acres will be available for new classroom, research, and residential facilities to help further the missions of these three fine institutions.

To establish these new campuses, three parcels of land would be conveyed from the Bureau of Land Management, BLM, to the Nevada System of Higher Education. Two of the parcels are located in Clark County, within the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, SNPLMA, disposal boundary. The third parcel is located in Pahrump, west of Las Vegas, in Nye County. BLM has designated all of these parcels for disposal because they are surrounded by development and are difficult to manage.

It is important to point out that the land our legislation conveys for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas borders Nellis Air Force Base. Nellis was once on the outskirts of town, but now development is on its doorstep. In order to protect the mission of the Nellis Air Force base, we have put a special provision in the legislation requiring that the university system and Air Force sign a binding agreement regarding development plans for the campus. The university system and the Air Force worked together on this issue for the last 3 years and have found a middle ground that will serve the interests of both parties. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the university system and the Air Force to make this work.

This same land bordering Nellis was once used as a small arms range during World War II and will need to be cleaned up before it can be conveyed to the university system. Because it will take time to accomplish this, our legislation allows the land to be conveyed in phases, as the remediation is completed.

This proposal to expand higher education opportunities in southern Nevada has been welcomed by area leaders. City and county officials have worked closely with the Nevada System of Higher Education to plan the development of world-class facilities in their communities. These facilities are critical to meeting the challenge of diversifying their economies and attracting and growing knowledge industries in the area.

I also want to note that a long-time champion of this legislation, and especially the Pahrump campus, passed away recently. Bob Swadell lived a life of service. He saw action in Korea where he earned a Bronze Star and later worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. More recently, Mr. Swadell devoted a great deal of his time to looking out for the future of

Pahrump. I regret that he will not be with us to see this legislation move forward, but we will certainly keep his vision and spirit with us as we work on this important bill.

Just as the Morrill Act opened up Federal land to expand higher education across the Nation, I am hopeful that this important, though much more modest effort can do the same for the residents of southern Nevada. We look forward to working with Chairman Bingaman, Ranking Member Murkowski and the other distinguished Members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to move this legislation in an expeditious manner.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for up to an hour, with Senators being allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The Republicans will control the first half, the Democrats the second half.

Following morning business, the Senate will begin 10 hours of statutory debate with respect to the conference report to accompany the resolution on the budget. Under an agreement we reached last night, the Senate will proceed to the conference report upon receiving a message from the House of Representatives with respect to the conference report. Senators will be notified when the vote on adoption of the conference report is scheduled. We will probably vote on that late this afternoon, early this evening. We have 10 hours. There are no amendments in order. There are no procedural obstacles to our finishing that fairly quickly. I spoke to Chairman Conrad. He certainly will not use the 5 hours which we are allotted, so we will yield back a lot of that time. Even if the Republicans use all of their 5 hours, we should be able to vote fairly quickly.

As far as the rest of the week is concerned, we hope to reach an agreement with the Republicans to begin consideration of the housing legislation, which we should be able to start either tonight or tomorrow.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask that the time be equally charged.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, April 30, following a period of morning business, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 52, S. 896, Helping Families Saves Their Homes; that immediately after the bill is reported, Senator Durbin be recognized to offer an amendment relating to ``cram-down''-- that is, bankruptcy; that there be 4 hours for debate with respect to the amendment and the time be equally divided and controlled between the leaders or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to that amendment; that adoption of the amendment will require an affirmative 60-vote threshold; that if the threshold is achieved, the amendment be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that if the amendment does not achieve that threshold, that it will be withdrawn; provided further that no amendment be in order to the amendment and that no further amendments on the subject of ``cram-down'' be in order during the pendency of S. 896; further, that upon disposition of the Durbin amendment, Senator Dodd be recognized to offer a Dodd-Shelby substitute amendment.

Mr. President, before we move on, there are times in the legislative process that you see someone who has invested a great deal of their personal time and passion on an issue. I came to Congress at the same time that Senator Durbin of Illinois came. He is a man, we all know, who is very articulate. He is a person who can express himself very well. He is a person who believes in the legislative process. He understands that legislation is the art of compromise. But that can be carried a little too far.

Senator Durbin has done everything within his power to get an issue that he believes in very strongly. I agree with him. It is unbelievable to me that people can have their primary residence in Las Vegas and have a beach house in Laguna, CA, and a ski chalet in Brian Head, UT, or some other ski area in Utah, and they come upon hard times. The resorts they have at the beach and up in the mountains, they can go to bankruptcy court and get that readjusted. Their primary residence, they cannot. But a person who has a home in Las Vegas or some other place in Nevada who comes upon hard times, they cannot do a thing with their home. They cannot go to bankruptcy court. They are stuck with this horrible process, we found.

I do not know how to summarize this other than to say that I hope the banks are proud of themselves. I hope they are proud of themselves, of what they have done--I add in that the financial institutions generally--what they have done to our country. And now they are standing in the way of our trying to help a little bit, trying to help people who have a home and they cannot get any relief. So the banks are going to wind up with a lot of peoples' homes because they are going to foreclosure upon them and the people have no alternative.

On the morning news today, Phoenix, AZ, the price of the homes in the last year--at least the way I heard it on public radio today--the price of homes has dropped 50 percent. A home that was worth $500,000 last year is worth $250,000 now.

Everyone knows that the assistant leader of the Senate is Senator Durbin. We work very closely together. And I help him whenever I can, as he helps me whenever he can. But I feel badly for the country. I am happy we got this agreement. Maybe we will be able to get very fortunate and pick up some votes. But I am very disappointed in the rope-a-dope that has been used on Senator Durbin. He has tried everything--everything--to try to get this done. Quite frankly, the amendment he is going to offer, I wish we would have one a little stronger than that.

But I hope that there will be a night's rest and people will come in and say: I guess Durbin is right. Let's do this. But I want the record spread with the fact that the people of the State of Illinois are very fortunate to have someone of his caliber, his integrity, working to help them and in the process help our country.

I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, April 30, upon disposition--Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, April 30, upon disposition of the Durbin amendment and after Senator Dodd has called up his amendment, that has been previously worked out, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 56, the nomination of Thomas

Strickland to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife; that there be 3 hours of debate with respect to the nomination, with 1 hour under the control of the majority and 2 hours under the control of the Republicans and 30 minutes of the Republican time under the control of Senator Bunning; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote on confirmation of the nomination; that the confirmation require an affirmative 60-vote threshold; that upon achieving that threshold, the nomination be confirmed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there be no further motions in order, and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

So after we dispose of the Durbin amendment, we will move to the Dodd amendment.

Mr. President, I want to express my appreciation to Senator Bunning who has been very reasonable in this process. There are certain things he wanted. He didn't get what he felt he was entitled to. Looking at his request, I think it was very reasonable. Senator Bunning has not been unfair in the questions he asked. I appreciate his allowing us to get this consent agreement.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar Nos. 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, and all nominations on the Secretary's Desk in the Coast Guard; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table en bloc.

I now ask that the Senate proceed to Calendar No. 65.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table and there be no further motions in order; that any statements relating to this nomination be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, before I turn this over to Senator Durbin to close, I want to say a word or two about this nomination we just completed. That is the nomination of Ron Weich.

I know Ron has waited with his family for a long time to get this done, but I have tremendously mixed emotions. A part of me was saying: I wish maybe

he would not get confirmed. But the better part of me and, of course, common sense dictates that the country needs him. For me, to lose him from my staff is really very difficult. He was such an important part of what we have been able to accomplish here in the Senate. He is a really a fine lawyer with a great legal mind. I have worked closely with him for years.

He is going to lead the Justice Department regarding legislative affairs. He has had prosecutorial experience and Government experience. I know and respect all he has done to strengthen our national security, forward the cause of justice, and raise the ethics standards of our Government and in the whole country. In fact, Ron took a lead role in the last Congress, as we passed the most sweeping ethics and lobbying reforms in the history of our Congress and our country.

Those who know and work with Ron value not only his extensive experience but just the person he is. I express my appreciation to Ron Weich for his sound judgment, his collegiality, his honesty, and loyalty to me. Eric Holder will find the same there.

While many of his colleagues from Columbia University and Yale Law School, where he was educated, are out in the private sector making a lot of money, Ron has spent most of his life in public service. He came back to the Senate after having been in a renowned law firm downtown. But he came back because this is what he wants to do. He is able to make enough money to raise his family. He is not interested in how much money he makes. He is interested in what good he can do for our country.

Our Nation benefits immensely when people as good at what they do as Ron is--and as good to others as Ron is--choose to make a difference.

As I have indicated, I am sad to see him leave this Capitol complex. I am comforted by knowing that Ron will play an important role in rebuilding Attorney General Holder's Justice Department to a place where all are once again equal under the law, protected by the law, and no one is above the law.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the nomination of Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be up to 8 hours for debate prior to a vote, with a 60-vote affirmation required for confirmation. That is by agreement.

I would indicate we have a few speakers on our side but not 4 hours worth. In fact, if we get up to an hour, it will be a surprise to me. So we will yield back a lot of that time.

At 12 noon we will vote on passage of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act.

The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15 today for our weekly caucus luncheons. Following the caucus recess, the Senate will resume debate on the Sebelius nomination, with the vote expected sometime later in the afternoon or evening.

Last night, the budget conferees filed a conference report accompanying the budget resolution. We expect to consider the conference report sometime tomorrow.

Finally, I expect the Senate to begin consideration of housing legislation this week. We have not finalized that with the distinguished Republican leader and members of his caucus, but I think we are getting very close. What we anticipate--I have filed, under rule XIV, the House-passed bill minus the bankruptcy provision. It is contemplated that the first amendment will be offered by Senator Durbin, to put the bankruptcy provision back in the bill. Then after that, we would take a look at the bill to see if anything else needed to be done. But the Durbin amendment would include just the bankruptcy language. There are issues in this dealing with FDIC and other things we are told the banking community and financial world needs, and we will take a look at that. That is how we will get to that legislation. We hope to do that within the next 24 hours or something like that.

I have indicated to the Republican leader that the next nomination we are concerned about is Tom Strickland, the Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Interior. I had good conversations with Senator Bunning last week. He has some questions he wants answered. He put that in writing to the Secretary. That has been all taken care of. Senator Bunning said he was not worried about delaying the vote but he wants an opportunity to be able to speak in regard to him, and I think there are other Senators who feel the same way, so hopefully we can work that out.

Then we are going to the credit card legislation, which was reported out of the Banking Committee. That is something that will not be real easy to do, but polling numbers indicate that almost 90 percent of the American people want us to do something with credit cards so it is something we have to do.

I have talked with the Republican leader about other things we wish to try to accomplish before we leave here during this spring period.

Mr. President, the hole we have inherited is a deep one. We are all in it together, and together is the only way we will be able to climb out of it.

One step that will put us back on the path to prosperity is reforming our broken health care system.

We will soon begin debating the best way to give all Americans the access to quality, affordable health care that they deserve. We will begin to lay the groundwork for creating health care jobs that not will not only improve the health of our economy but of Americans everywhere.

It will not be an easy task. It will take the cooperation of both Republicans and Democrats. It will take the collaboration of both the White House and the Congress. But right now, the President is playing shorthanded.

Governor Sebelius will be a key player on his team. President Obama will benefit from having her experience and temperament in his Cabinet, and all Americans will benefit from her extraordinary leadership.

Governor Sebelius has worked hard for the people of Kansas for more than 20 years--the first 8 in the State legislature, then as the State's insurance commissioner for another 8 years. It is safe to say she knows a thing or two about the complexities of insuring all Americans and the urgency with which we must do so.

On her way to becoming insurance commissioner, Kathleen Sebelius refused to take campaign contributions from insurance companies. Once she got there, she made her mark by cracking down on HMOs and saving taxpayers money.

For the last 6 years, she has served as the Democratic Governor of a bright red State. One doesn't succeed--let alone get reelected--in that environment without knowing how to put people ahead of partisanship. Governor Sebelius did just that--she expanded health care for children and made both health care and prescription drugs more affordable for everyone.

Her integrity is beyond reproach, her expertise is essential, and her confirmation is long overdue.

The only way for our economy to fully recover is by making the critical investment of reforming health care. The stakes are too high and the cost of inaction is too great.

If we are going to start digging out of this hole, we must start by filling the hole over at HHS. And if we are going to fix our broken health care system, who is better equipped to lead that effort than Kathleen Sebelius?