Why It Matters

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing titled "Hearings To Examine Certain Pending Nominations" on Sept. 15 to consider four nominees for positions at the Department of Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Tax Court.

The committee considered Gerard Klomp's nomination to be deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, James Gadwood's nomination to be chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service and an assistant general counsel in the Department of the Treasury, Ge Bai's nomination to be an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, and Andrew A. De Mello's nomination to serve a 15-year term as a judge on the U.S. Tax Court.

The Hearing

The committee, chaired by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), held the hearing on Sept. 15. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) serves as ranking member.

All four nominees appeared as witnesses before the committee. Klomp, of Utah, was nominated to succeed James O'Neill as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services. Gadwood, of Maryland, was nominated to succeed Marjorie Rollinson as IRS chief counsel and an assistant general counsel in the Treasury Department.

Bai, of Virginia, was nominated to succeed Richard Frank as an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services. De Mello, also of Virginia, was nominated to succeed Maurice Foley as a U.S. Tax Court judge for a 15-year term.

Broader Context

De Mello, also of Virginia, was nominated to succeed Maurice Foley as a U.S. Tax Court judge for a 15-year term. Bai, of Virginia, was nominated to succeed Richard Frank as an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services.

Gadwood, of Maryland, was nominated to succeed Marjorie Rollinson as IRS chief counsel and an assistant general counsel in the Treasury Department. Klomp, of Utah, was nominated to succeed James O'Neill as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services. All four nominees appeared as witnesses before the committee.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) serves as ranking member. The nominations span agencies and positions within the Finance Committee's jurisdiction, including senior leadership at HHS, the IRS's top legal office and the U.S. Tax Court. The hearing provided senators an opportunity to question the four nominees before the committee determines whether to advance their nominations to the full Senate.

The Bottom Line

The Sept. 15 hearing moved four nominations covering health policy, federal tax administration and tax adjudication through the Senate Finance Committee's confirmation process. The nominees would still require further Senate action before taking office.

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