Orrin Hatch: “I would like to turn to the business currently before the Senate and express my support for the nomination of…”

“I would like to turn to the business currently before the Senate and express my support for the nomination of Representative Tom Price to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services at this critical juncture. HHS encompasses an extremely large and diverse set of agencies, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration, just to name a few. All told, its annual budget is more than $1 trillion--that is trillion with a ``t.'' The various programs and agencies that fall under HHS's purview have an enormous impact on our Nation's fiscal and economic outlook. I am not exaggerating when I say that HHS affects the daily lives of more American taxpayers than any other part of the Federal Government. Management of all these agencies is not for the faint of heart. Once confirmed, Dr. Price will have his work cut out for him, but I believe he is more than up to the challenge. He has proven that over the years. Dr. Price has extensive insight into our Nation's health care system, having practiced medicine for two decades in a variety of settings. That experience has informed his years of service in the House of Representatives, which included a tenure as chairman of the House Budget Committee and in the leadership in the Ways and Means Committee.…”