May 4, 2007—Yesterday President Bush nominated Kerry N. Weems, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) deputy chief of staff, for the position of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator. Pending Senate confirmation, Weems will replace acting administrator Leslie Norwalk, who took over when Mark McClellan resigned last October.
Norwalk said she asked not to be considered as McClellan’s permanent replacement. “It was not easy, but I decided early in the search process that I could not commit to staying for another two years,” she said in a statement released to CMS staff. “I am ready for the next phase in my life and am hopeful it will be as rewarding as the last six years have been.”
HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt praised Weems. “He understands the fiscal challenges facing Medicare and Medicaid and what it will take to strengthen and sustain those programs for the future,” Leavitt said.
Bush also nominated deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy Tevi David Troy to serve as deputy HHS secretary.
—Cat Vasko
