Despite an overwhelming committee vote in September and the strong endorsement of the past three Republican secretaries of Health and Human Services, it appears Jane Henney's nomination to head the Food and Drug Administration will not be approved before the end of the session.
"I don't believe it's going to go anywhere this year," said a spokesman for Senate Majority Whip Nickles.
The spokesman said Nickles is blocking full Senate consideration for "a number of senators who have concerns," but also for himself. "It's our belief she is a nominee who embraces legislating by regulation and we're not going to confirm her anytime soon," Nickles' spokesman said.
Both the White House and HHS officials have been pushing the Senate to confirm Henney because the FDA-in the midst of major changes imposed by a 1997 law-has been without a permanent administrator since the departure of David Kessler in early 1997.
In a letter Tuesday to Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., former HHS secretaries Louis Sullivan (Bush), Otis Bowen (Reagan), Margaret Heckler (Reagan) and Joseph Califano (Carter), along with Kessler, urged Lott to let the nomination proceed.
"The FDA is facing a critical time as it implements the FDA Modernization Act that was enacted by Congress last year," they wrote. "The FDA needs a strong, innovative leader to lead these modernization efforts and Dr. Henney is uniquely qualified to provide this leadership."
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