WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts and U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today congratulated Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius on her nomination by President Obama to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

"Congratulations to Governor Sebelius on being nominated to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services," the Senators said. "It’s an honor for the State of Kansas to have an elected official appointed to the president’s cabinet. We are hopeful Governor Sebelius will be a voice for Kansas and rural America at the Department. We look forward to working with her on issues important to the state including a National Cancer Institute Designation at the University of Kansas Cancer Center."

Sebelius, who has served as Governor of Kansas for six years, was today nominated by the president to serve as Secretary of HHS. Her nomination now heads to the Senate, which will decide whether to confirm the nomination.

"We will be able to pick up the phone and talk directly with the secretary about issues that are important to Kansas. We know we can have a strong dialogue with Governor Sebelius on issues we’ve been working on including fighting Medicare reimbursement cuts to home health care providers and ensuring the hundreds of billions of health care dollars in the stimulus are wisely spent.

"Obviously we will have different viewpoints than the Administration on many issues including health care reform especially given the huge price tag. We have real concerns about the president’s budget which includes an additional $634 billion for a health care ‘reserve fund’ which is made up of tax increases and major cuts to programs critical to Kansas seniors. We look forward to talking with Governor Sebelius about the details of the president’s plan.

"We are committed to ensuring that every American has access to quality, affordable, and personalized health care. We strongly oppose any move toward one-size-fits-all medicine. We also oppose the introduction of a new public insurance plan option that will reduce quality and choice by crowding-out the private insurance market, and we will work to preserve the healthcare options on which Kansans depend."

Senator Roberts serves on the Senate Finance Committee, which will consider the nomination.

Senator Roberts is also a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and is Co-Chair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus.

Senator Brownback serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Committee on Aging.

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