Hatch Statement at Finance Executive Session to Consider Treasury and HHS Nominees

WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today delivered the following opening statement at a markup of nominations for the Department of Treasury and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

Before we begin, I want to take a moment to acknowledge today’s most unfortunate events. At this time, all of our thoughts and prayers go out to our congressional colleagues, staffers, and Capitol Police officers who were injured in the attack earlier this morning.

The shooting that took place in Alexandria this morning was a terrible tragedy that, as I understand from news reports, would have been much, much worse if not for the heroic actions of Capitol Police officers on the scene, who apparently were shot themselves as they took down the shooter.

I think I speak for everyone here in expressing the deepest gratitude for those who serve in the Capitol Police and work hard every day, at great risk to their own safety, to keep all of us safe. I hope and pray for the safety of all our Capitol Police officers and for a swift recovery for those who were injured in the line of duty today.

It is beyond horrifying to hear that our fellow members of Congress and the staffers who support them had been under attack, and I pray that they will also recover quickly from their injuries.

With that, though it will difficult, I think we should turn to the business at hand, which will hopefully provide an opportunity for us to come together and set differences aside.Today, we will consider, and hopefully report, the nominations of Eric Hargan to serve as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services; David Malpass to serve as Under Secretary for International Affairs of the Treasury; Andrew Maloney to serve in a position to be designated as Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs of the Treasury; and Brent McIntosh to serve as General Counsel for the Treasury.

Last week, the committee had a chance talk with each of these fine nominees. I think they carried themselves very well and demonstrated further their qualifications to serve in these important positions.

As we heard from Governor Tommy Thompson, Mr. Hargan will bring experience, common sense and a meaningful work ethic to Health and Human Services. No doubt his prior service at HHS will bring thoughtfulness and institutional stability at a crucial time.

Second on our list is Mr. Malpass. Mr. Malpass’ training as an economist in conjunction with his prior experience at Treasury under Presidents Reagan and Bush make him an excellent nominee for this role at Treasury. I think it’s fair to say that his input and expertise will be crucial as we seek to reform the tax code.

Third, we have Mr. Maloney, who, with more than 25 years of government affairs experience will step naturally into his role as Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the Treasury.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Mr. McIntosh who has a great deal of experience working as a lawyer in the executive branch. His time at the Department of Justice and in the White House make him an excellent candidate to serve as General Counsel for the Treasury.

I look forward to reporting each of these nominations to the full Senate where, with any luck, they will be confirmed in short order.

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