Senators Clinton and Murray vow to block FDA Chief Nominee

[wiley]

March 15, 2006
Bush Selects Nominee for F.D.A. Chief
By GARDINER HARRIS
http://tinyurl.com/g6vs7

WASHINGTON, March 15 — President Bush nominated Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach today to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, but a spat over the "morning-after" pill all but ensures that the nomination will go nowhere for months or even years.

A Bush family friend, Dr. von Eschenbach has led the F.D.A. since September, when his predecessor abruptly resigned. He also leads the National Cancer Institute.

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Patty Murray have vowed to block any vote on Dr. von Eschenbach's nomination until the F.D.A. decides whether to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, an emergency contraceptive known as the "morning-after" pill.

The application has been pending for three years. Anti-abortion groups oppose the application; abortion advocates support it.

"If they don't come to a decision on Plan B, the White House is going to need a Plan C on their nominee," said Ms. Murray, a Democrat from Washington State.

The fight comes as the F.D.A. faces difficult decisions about how to track the safety of drugs and medical devices after approval, how to balance competing demands between speedier access to drugs and more information about their safety, and how to approve generic versions of expensive biotech drugs.

Some agency observers say that only a confirmed commissioner can make such decisions. Political observers nonetheless predict a stalemate.

Norman J. Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said that the Bush administration would allow Dr. von Eschenbach's nomination to languish for years before doing anything that would anger its allies in the anti-abortion movement, as an approval for Plan B would.

"It's not a contest," Mr. Ornstein said. "With the president's approval rating down even among Republicans, they are not going to enrage their base."

(more)

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. Hurry and try to change the subject Hillary!

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! You can't outrun the censure boogey man! It is here and it is hungry for your campaign contributions. You can call it "RussZilla" if you want.

[wiley]

3. Senator Clinton has threatened to do this for years

The nomination was just announced. Give me a break! Isn't there some CORRUPT REPUBLICAN you could harass?

[babylonsister]

2. I'm seeing a trend. Kerry is refusing to approve of the guy

who was in charge of 'the big dig' in Boston for some transportation position (?), Byrd is refusing to approve a man who's been nominated to take over the mine admin, these are three dimson appointees.
Hmmm, very interesting.

[wiley]

4. I think this is the only real power that a minority Party

in the Senate has to block nominees. They put a hold on them, right?

[babylonsister]

5. I 'think' so; w/these disapprovals, the selectees won't get put

through, at least immediately, though I'm not well-versed on this at all. But I do recall those other 2 senators disagreeing about the nominees.
Maybe someone else has more/better info.

Edit to add:

http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap03-14-162540.asp?...

Kerry to put hold on Bush nomination for top highway job

By LESLIE MILLER
ASSOCIATED PRESS


WASHINGTON, March 14 — Former presidential candidate John Kerry said Tuesday he will prevent the former head of Boston's $14.6 billion Big Dig, Richard Capka, from becoming head of the Federal Highway Administration.


''I'm afraid Richard Capka could be the Brownie of highways,'' Kerry said, referring to former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown, who became the scapegoat for the inept federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

Capka, nominated earlier this month by President Bush for the top highway job, was chief executive officer of the Boston highway project from January 2001 to June 2002 until his position was terminated.

Though costs rose slightly during his 1½-year tenure, Capka was mostly criticized for his failure to handle the political controversies surrounding the massive project. For example, he approved lucrative severance packages for several Big Dig lawyers.

Sen. Kerry, D-Mass., said he will place a hold on Capka's nomination, which would prevent the Senate from considering his nomination.

''Why on earth would he get a promotion?'' Kerry said. ''It looks like the administration is going to repeat a stunning pattern of rewarding people who screw up.''

and

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd is blocking the confirmation of the person President Bush has picked to oversee U.S. mine safety. Byrd, a Democrat, said Tuesday he needs more assurances that Richard Stickler will be a strong leader at the Mine Safety and Health Administration, especially in light of accidents that have left 24 miners dead this year.

Byrd said he is trying to meet with Stickler, who previously headed Pennsylvania's mine safety agency and also worked as an industry executive. ''MSHA's political leadership seems to have lost sight in recent years that miners' safety and health is that agency's top priority,'' Byrd said. ''Until I know that Mr. Stickler will make safety job No. 1 at MSHA, I will not allow his nomination to move forward.''

Byrd said he wants to learn more about Stickler's views on key issues, including the need for better communications devices and a more aggressive fine structure. Under Senate rules, any single senator can block nominations or legislation. In response to questions from The Associated Press, Byrd acknowledged he was blocking the nomination.

Stickler faced tough questioning from senators during his confirmation hearing earlier this year, shortly after 14 miners were killed in two accidents at the Sago and Alma No. 1 mines in West Virginia. Stickler and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., disagreed over whether a mine rescue team should be required at every underground coal mine. Kennedy said the current policy allowing teams to be two hours away isn't sufficient, but Stickler said requiring each coal mine to have a team on hand isn't realistic.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Mine-Admini...

[wiley]

6. Nice. "The Brownie of Highways"

[johnnydrama]

7. I & C

Highway nominee is incompetent.

FDA guy is a crony.

What else is new.