Chris Dodd: “I rise today as the nomination of current Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Administrator and former Utah Governor…”

“I rise today as the nomination of current Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Administrator and former Utah Governor Michael Leavitt for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services comes before the Senate. I plan to support this nominee as I did a little more than one year ago when Governor Leavitt's nomination to lead the EPA came before this body. I do so with the intention of working with him once he is confirmed as the administration's leading health care advocate to protect our Nation's vital health care infrastructure. Once confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Governor Leavitt will oversee the administration of the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, the vast federal agency overseeing the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the National Institutes of Health, NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, the Health Resources and Services Administration, HRSA, and the Administration for Children and Families, which oversees child care, welfare and Head Start. HHS operates more than 300 critically important programs that represent almost a quarter of all federal outlays. In fact, the Medicare and Medicaid programs alone provide health insurance for one in four Americans.”