Sylvia Burwell appears headed for confirmation as HHS Secretary. (Getty Images)
A procedural vote in the Senate Wednesday all but confirmed the nomination of Sylvia Matthews Burwell, a favorite of Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., to the role of Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Burwell won a procedural vote 67 to 28 at Wednesday’s session, with 14 of those votes coming from Republicans.
Murphy has long advocated in favor of her nomination, saying it would benefit the Affordable Care Act to have her in that role.
“If you give Sylvia Burwell the chance to talk about 8 million people enrolled, health care expenditures coming down, quality increasing, that will be a pretty good hearing for the Affordable Care Act,” Murphy said last month. “I think part of the reason Republicans aren’t talking up blocking her nomination is because they don’t really want a fight on the Affordable Care Act … because there is too much information on our side and increasingly too little information on their side.”
Highly critical of her predecessor, Kathleen Sebelius, who stepped down following the far from perfect roll-out of healthcare.gov, some Republicans have been surprisingly pleased with Burwell’s nomination.
Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and Richard Burr of North Caroline even advocated on her behalf.
Currently serving as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Burwell has pledged to prioritize transparency and accountability while keeping her ears open to lawmakers from both parties.
She reiterated her commitment to transparency and communication at Wednesday’s preliminary vote, telling the Senate she will take appropriate measures to address their concerns.
“I take the issues very seriously,” she said. “I actually hope that there will be actually direct communication if there are concerns.”
Though the final vote will not take place until Thursday afternoon, the results are unlikely to vary enough to change the outcome of Wednesday’s preliminary vote.