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What to Watch: Closer Look at Health Secretary Nominee What to Watch: Price Will Face Grilling from Democrats
(about 4 hours later)
WASHINGTON — The Capitol is buzzing. Its hearing rooms are full. Its grand structures are being Made Great Again — or, at least, as presentable as possible for a mass inauguration audience.WASHINGTON — The Capitol is buzzing. Its hearing rooms are full. Its grand structures are being Made Great Again — or, at least, as presentable as possible for a mass inauguration audience.
With two days until President-elect Donald J. Trump’s big moment, here is what to watch on Wednesday:With two days until President-elect Donald J. Trump’s big moment, here is what to watch on Wednesday:
■ Representative Tom Price of Georgia, the nominee for health and human services secretary, may face the toughest scrutiny of any cabinet choice so far.■ Representative Tom Price of Georgia, the nominee for health and human services secretary, may face the toughest scrutiny of any cabinet choice so far.
■ But it won’t be easy for Scott Pruitt, Mr. Trump’s selection to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, either, because of his ties to the energy industry.■ But it won’t be easy for Scott Pruitt, Mr. Trump’s selection to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, either, because of his ties to the energy industry.
■ An increasing number of House Democrats say they will skip Mr. Trump’s inauguration on Friday.■ An increasing number of House Democrats say they will skip Mr. Trump’s inauguration on Friday.
For a while now, Democrats have considered Mr. Price to be the one cabinet nominee they might have a serious chance of blocking. Mr. Price was prepared for a contentious confirmation hearing, with an earthy life story, and a conservative rationale for his views on health care.
With a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Mr. Price will attract no shortage of questions about his fitness for the role. Already a contentious pick as a top critic of the Affordable Care Act and a proponent of overhauling the Medicare system, Mr. Price has seen his nomination consumed recently by several damaging news reports. The 62-year-old orthopedic surgeon from the affluent northern suburbs of Atlanta said he had been interested in medicine from an early age. His father and his paternal grandfather were also physicians, and he said he had made house calls with his grandfather to see patients.
In remarks prepared for the committee hearing, Mr. Price explained how he became concerned about the burden imposed on doctors by insurance companies and federal regulators.
“I noticed that there were more individuals within our office who were dealing with paperwork, insurance filings and government regulations than there were individuals actually seeing and treating patients,” Mr. Price said. “It was in those moments that it became crystal clear that our health care system was losing focus on the No. 1 priority – the individual patient.”
Mr. Price said he was qualified to lead the Department of Health and Human Services because of his experience as a doctor and a legislator. He practiced surgery for about 20 years, served in the Georgia State Senate from 1997 through 2004 and since 2005 has been a member of Congress, serving most recently as chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Mr. Price is a top critic of the Affordable Care Act and a proponent of overhauling the Medicare system, Mr. Price has seen his nomination consumed recently by several damaging news reports.
(Among them: a Wall Street Journal article reporting that Mr. Price traded more than $300,000 in health care stocks over four years while advocating or sponsoring legislation that could have increased their value, and a CNN report that he purchased shares in a medical device company shortly before introducing legislation to delay regulations that could have significantly harmed the company.)(Among them: a Wall Street Journal article reporting that Mr. Price traded more than $300,000 in health care stocks over four years while advocating or sponsoring legislation that could have increased their value, and a CNN report that he purchased shares in a medical device company shortly before introducing legislation to delay regulations that could have significantly harmed the company.)
Democrats appear eager to train their fire on Mr. Price. Zac Petkanas, a senior adviser at the Democratic National Committee who oversees the party’s “Trump war room,” called Mr. Price “potentially one of the most corrupt cabinet nominees, if not the most corrupt cabinet nominee, that Donald Trump has put forward.”Democrats appear eager to train their fire on Mr. Price. Zac Petkanas, a senior adviser at the Democratic National Committee who oversees the party’s “Trump war room,” called Mr. Price “potentially one of the most corrupt cabinet nominees, if not the most corrupt cabinet nominee, that Donald Trump has put forward.”
A group of Democratic senators also called on Tuesday for Mr. Price’s hearing to be postponed until all potential ethics issues are fully investigated.A group of Democratic senators also called on Tuesday for Mr. Price’s hearing to be postponed until all potential ethics issues are fully investigated.
Mr. Price, like other candidates for cabinet jobs in the Trump administration, will be subject to confirmation by the full Senate.
The hearing Wednesday is being held by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, headed by Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee. But that panel does not vote on the nomination.
Another hearing has been scheduled for next Tuesday by the Senate Finance Committee, which will vote on whether to recommend confirmation. The two committees share authority over issues for which the Health and Human Services Department is responsible.
Wednesday will also focus attention on another Trump nominee vigorously opposed by Democrats: Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general and Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Pruitt, who has denied the science of human-caused climate change, has been a leader of the legal fight against President Obama’s climate policies.Wednesday will also focus attention on another Trump nominee vigorously opposed by Democrats: Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general and Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Pruitt, who has denied the science of human-caused climate change, has been a leader of the legal fight against President Obama’s climate policies.
Among other issues likely to earn scrutiny at his Senate hearing, Mr. Pruitt has a record in office of siding with industry donors over federal regulators.Among other issues likely to earn scrutiny at his Senate hearing, Mr. Pruitt has a record in office of siding with industry donors over federal regulators.
If confirmed, he is expected to reverse the Obama administration’s aggressive environmental enforcement and pursue a more collaborative approach with the industries that the agency is tasked with policing. If confirmed, he is expected to reverse the Obama administration’s aggressive environmental enforcement and pursue a more collaborative approach with the industries that the agency polices.
It has become the question du jour for every Democrat on Capitol Hill: Will you join the growing boycott of Mr. Trump’s inauguration?It has become the question du jour for every Democrat on Capitol Hill: Will you join the growing boycott of Mr. Trump’s inauguration?
The list of House Democrats skipping the event has ballooned to more than 50 since Mr. Trump lashed out at Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, the civil rights icon who had questioned the legitimacy of Mr. Trump’s victory.The list of House Democrats skipping the event has ballooned to more than 50 since Mr. Trump lashed out at Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, the civil rights icon who had questioned the legitimacy of Mr. Trump’s victory.
So far, most of the boycotters come from districts that decisively favored Hillary Clinton. What bears watching now is whether any Senate Democrats will see it fit to join.So far, most of the boycotters come from districts that decisively favored Hillary Clinton. What bears watching now is whether any Senate Democrats will see it fit to join.
Two weeks ago, senators seemed to offer a preview. At a joint session of Congress to validate the Electoral College results, several House Democrats sought to object to Mr. Trump’s election, citing claims of voter suppression and Russian interference in the process, among other issues. But the members were permitted to make only formal, written objections if a senator joined the effort as well. None did.Two weeks ago, senators seemed to offer a preview. At a joint session of Congress to validate the Electoral College results, several House Democrats sought to object to Mr. Trump’s election, citing claims of voter suppression and Russian interference in the process, among other issues. But the members were permitted to make only formal, written objections if a senator joined the effort as well. None did.
Mr. Trump probably speaks most frequently about CNN — the network so unworthy of attention, as he often suggests, that he could not help reminding Twitter followers of the airtime of a recent special on his daughter Ivanka. (“Considering it is CNN, can’t imagine it will be great!” he said.)
But the president-elect’s loyalties plainly lie elsewhere on the dial. On Wednesday morning, he will appear again on his network of choice, Fox News, for an interview to be shown on “Fox & Friends.”
Though Mr. Trump has sat for a handful of interviews recently with print outlets, he has been less inclined to appear on television than he was during the height of the campaign. Expect far fewer fireworks than were on display last week at his news conference, where reporters pressed him on his business conflicts and Russian hacking.
In a preview of the Fox interview released on Tuesday, Mr. Trump held forth on Mr. Lewis. “It’s making him look bad, frankly,” Mr. Trump said of their dispute.