Washington D.C., Apr 21, 2009 / 15:56 pm
The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted to recommend the confirmation of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as the new Health and Human Services Secretary.
The final tally was 11-5, with Republicans Sens. Olympia Snowe of Maine and Pat Roberts of Kansas joining the Democrats.
Before the committee vote, Senate Minority Whip John Kyl (R-Ariz.) declared his opposition. He raised questions about Gov. Sebelius’ ties to the Kansas late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller, who contributed to her campaigns for state office.
Pro-life groups have objected to Sebelius’ nomination because of the contributions. She initially claimed to have received $12,450 from Tiller between 1994 and 2001. On April 14, she reported that she had actually received $39,600.