Hatch Announces Hearing to Consider Azar to Lead HHS

WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will convene a hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 9, to consider the anticipated nomination of Alex Azar to serve as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. The hearing will take place in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 215 at 10 a.m.

“Mr. Azar has demonstrated that he has what it takes to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and that he will tackle the challenges facing the American healthcare system head-on,” Hatch said. “Next week’s hearing will give Finance Committee members a firsthand opportunity to hear from Mr. Azar about his plans to help mitigate Obamacare’s corrosive effects, while ensuring Medicare and Medicaid are strengthened and maintained. This hearing is an important step in advancing a fair and transparent vetting of this nominee.”  

Background
Each nominee that moves through the Senate Finance Committee undergoes the same bipartisan vetting process as the nominees from previous administrations. Traditionally, each nominee is required to submit a questionnaire as well as full copies of their tax returns to the committee for review. Once the internal vetting process is completed, the Finance Committee will schedule a date for a confirmation hearing.

The Senate Finance Committee, the committee with the largest jurisdiction in either House of Congress, oversees more than 50 percent of the federal budget and has jurisdiction over large portions of the American healthcare system, including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP.

For media inquiries and additional information, including webcast and testimony details, please visit: http://finance.senate.gov/hearings.  

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