to announce resignation from Cabinet post...

[Guest guest]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/nat/dec04/280781.asp

to announce resignation from Cabinet post

By KATHERINE M. SKIBA

kskiba@...

Posted: Dec. 3, 2004

Washington - Tommy G. will announce here this afternoon that he is

resigning as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has learned.

, 63, will hold an afternoon news conference to disclose the end to

his 38-year career in public service. He is leaving for the private sector,

a source close to said.

The news confirms 's frequently stated intentions to leave the Bush

administration after one term. He will be the eighth cabinet member to leave

since election day.

His long career in government and politics began with his election to the

Wisconsin Assembly. He won an unprecedented four terms as Wisconsin

governor, leaving the last one to be sworn in as HHS secretary on Feb. 2,

2001.

The post made the nation's top health official, putting him at the

helm of a vast, complex department with more than 60,000 employees and a

budget bigger than all but a handful of countries. The budget in fiscal year

2003 was nearly $503 billion.

Health and Human Services encompasses a dozen agencies. including the

Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Among his achievements, counts strengthening preparedness for a

bioterrorism attack, increasing funding at the National Institutes of Health

and reorganizing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, formerly

known as the Health Care Financing Administration.

He was on the Bush cabinet during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and

the subsequent anthrax outbreaks. His tenure was marked by Medicare reform,

the White House decision to limit the stem cell lines available for federal

research and a fight with states - one of them Wisconsin - over the

importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

The budget for HHS for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 is $573 billion.

has traveled to 36 foreign countries as HHS chief.

In becoming the 19th secretary of Health and Human Services,

succeeding Donna Shalala, another Wisconsin appointee. Shalala, the

formerchancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served the full

eight years of President Bill Clinton's administration.

'I'm not going to stay'

The impending announcement today will hew to 's repeated public

statements that he would step down after Bush's first term.

" I'm not going to stay - I don't know how much plainer I can be, " he said in

March. " I'm not going to stay for a second Bush administration. "

Campaigning for Bush in Wisconsin on the eve of the Nov. 2 election,

said he expected to be asked to stay on. He said then that he would

listen, but planned to leave the job in 2005.

Faint rumblings of something bigger for , such as the Department of

Homeland Security, never gained momentum, and when its secretary, Tom Ridge,

stepped down this week, 's name never emerged as as potential

successor.

On Friday, Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York City,

got the nod from Bush to take over for Ridge.

As the nation's health czar, tried to set an example by watching

his diet, exercising, urging staffers to wear pedometers, encouraging people

to eat fruit and berating them not to smoke.

Not that he dieted fanatically, though: just this week, when top HHS

staffers belatedly marked his birthday, which falls on Nov. 19, the menu

featured ice cream and pizza.

His time at HHS saw travel around the world to promote the fight

against AIDS and other health issues. He also campaigned vigorously for

Bush's re-election.

A difficult personal time for and his family came earlier this year

when his daughter Tommi, then 33, underwent surgery for breast cancer,

becoming the third generation in the family to battle the disease. While

enlisting expert opinions on her case, lamented that even as HHS

chief, " pretty much, your hands are tied to prevent this from happening to

someone you love very much. "

Tommi is finance director for the Wisconsin Women's Health

Foundation, which Sue Ann , the secretary's wife, created in 1997 to

highlight issues from heart disease to nutrition and disease prevention.

A long political journey

, a grocer's son born in tiny Elroy, Wis., earned a law degree from

the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966. That year, he became a

representative in the Wisconsin Assembly, the start of his storied political

career that saw him earn a national reputation as an innovator for cutting

welfare roles and promoting school choice.

He had been governor for 14 years when he was tapped by President-elect

Bush, who called him a conservative, compassionate and creative leader.

" It's such an honor to have Tommy agree to . . . come and serve our

nation, " Bush said at the time of the appointment.

left Bush's side in Washington that day to appear, teary-eyed, at a

news conference in the Wisconsin Capitol. He said the announcement of his

departure as governor were the " hardest words I've ever spoken. "

Although he once derided Washington as " Disneyland East, " had

flirted with a presidential run in 2000. He had been viewed as a potential

running mate by Republican Bob Dole in 1996. never advanced beyond

a short list of contenders, and Dole chose Jack Kemp.

[Guest guest]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/nat/dec04/280781.asp

to announce resignation from Cabinet post

By KATHERINE M. SKIBA

kskiba@...

Posted: Dec. 3, 2004

Washington - Tommy G. will announce here this afternoon that he is

resigning as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has learned.

, 63, will hold an afternoon news conference to disclose the end to

his 38-year career in public service. He is leaving for the private sector,

a source close to said.

The news confirms 's frequently stated intentions to leave the Bush

administration after one term. He will be the eighth cabinet member to leave

since election day.

His long career in government and politics began with his election to the

Wisconsin Assembly. He won an unprecedented four terms as Wisconsin

governor, leaving the last one to be sworn in as HHS secretary on Feb. 2,

2001.

The post made the nation's top health official, putting him at the

helm of a vast, complex department with more than 60,000 employees and a

budget bigger than all but a handful of countries. The budget in fiscal year

2003 was nearly $503 billion.

Health and Human Services encompasses a dozen agencies. including the

Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Among his achievements, counts strengthening preparedness for a

bioterrorism attack, increasing funding at the National Institutes of Health

and reorganizing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, formerly

known as the Health Care Financing Administration.

He was on the Bush cabinet during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and

the subsequent anthrax outbreaks. His tenure was marked by Medicare reform,

the White House decision to limit the stem cell lines available for federal

research and a fight with states - one of them Wisconsin - over the

importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

The budget for HHS for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 is $573 billion.

has traveled to 36 foreign countries as HHS chief.

In becoming the 19th secretary of Health and Human Services,

succeeding Donna Shalala, another Wisconsin appointee. Shalala, the

formerchancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served the full

eight years of President Bill Clinton's administration.

'I'm not going to stay'

The impending announcement today will hew to 's repeated public

statements that he would step down after Bush's first term.

" I'm not going to stay - I don't know how much plainer I can be, " he said in

March. " I'm not going to stay for a second Bush administration. "

Campaigning for Bush in Wisconsin on the eve of the Nov. 2 election,

said he expected to be asked to stay on. He said then that he would

listen, but planned to leave the job in 2005.

Faint rumblings of something bigger for , such as the Department of

Homeland Security, never gained momentum, and when its secretary, Tom Ridge,

stepped down this week, 's name never emerged as as potential

successor.

On Friday, Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York City,

got the nod from Bush to take over for Ridge.

As the nation's health czar, tried to set an example by watching

his diet, exercising, urging staffers to wear pedometers, encouraging people

to eat fruit and berating them not to smoke.

Not that he dieted fanatically, though: just this week, when top HHS

staffers belatedly marked his birthday, which falls on Nov. 19, the menu

featured ice cream and pizza.

His time at HHS saw travel around the world to promote the fight

against AIDS and other health issues. He also campaigned vigorously for

Bush's re-election.

A difficult personal time for and his family came earlier this year

when his daughter Tommi, then 33, underwent surgery for breast cancer,

becoming the third generation in the family to battle the disease. While

enlisting expert opinions on her case, lamented that even as HHS

chief, " pretty much, your hands are tied to prevent this from happening to

someone you love very much. "

Tommi is finance director for the Wisconsin Women's Health

Foundation, which Sue Ann , the secretary's wife, created in 1997 to

highlight issues from heart disease to nutrition and disease prevention.

A long political journey

, a grocer's son born in tiny Elroy, Wis., earned a law degree from

the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966. That year, he became a

representative in the Wisconsin Assembly, the start of his storied political

career that saw him earn a national reputation as an innovator for cutting

welfare roles and promoting school choice.

He had been governor for 14 years when he was tapped by President-elect

Bush, who called him a conservative, compassionate and creative leader.

" It's such an honor to have Tommy agree to . . . come and serve our

nation, " Bush said at the time of the appointment.

left Bush's side in Washington that day to appear, teary-eyed, at a

news conference in the Wisconsin Capitol. He said the announcement of his

departure as governor were the " hardest words I've ever spoken. "

Although he once derided Washington as " Disneyland East, " had

flirted with a presidential run in 2000. He had been viewed as a potential

running mate by Republican Bob Dole in 1996. never advanced beyond

a short list of contenders, and Dole chose Jack Kemp.

[Guest guest]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/nat/dec04/280781.asp

to announce resignation from Cabinet post

By KATHERINE M. SKIBA

kskiba@...

Posted: Dec. 3, 2004

Washington - Tommy G. will announce here this afternoon that he is

resigning as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has learned.

, 63, will hold an afternoon news conference to disclose the end to

his 38-year career in public service. He is leaving for the private sector,

a source close to said.

The news confirms 's frequently stated intentions to leave the Bush

administration after one term. He will be the eighth cabinet member to leave

since election day.

His long career in government and politics began with his election to the

Wisconsin Assembly. He won an unprecedented four terms as Wisconsin

governor, leaving the last one to be sworn in as HHS secretary on Feb. 2,

2001.

The post made the nation's top health official, putting him at the

helm of a vast, complex department with more than 60,000 employees and a

budget bigger than all but a handful of countries. The budget in fiscal year

2003 was nearly $503 billion.

Health and Human Services encompasses a dozen agencies. including the

Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Among his achievements, counts strengthening preparedness for a

bioterrorism attack, increasing funding at the National Institutes of Health

and reorganizing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, formerly

known as the Health Care Financing Administration.

He was on the Bush cabinet during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and

the subsequent anthrax outbreaks. His tenure was marked by Medicare reform,

the White House decision to limit the stem cell lines available for federal

research and a fight with states - one of them Wisconsin - over the

importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

The budget for HHS for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 is $573 billion.

has traveled to 36 foreign countries as HHS chief.

In becoming the 19th secretary of Health and Human Services,

succeeding Donna Shalala, another Wisconsin appointee. Shalala, the

formerchancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served the full

eight years of President Bill Clinton's administration.

'I'm not going to stay'

The impending announcement today will hew to 's repeated public

statements that he would step down after Bush's first term.

" I'm not going to stay - I don't know how much plainer I can be, " he said in

March. " I'm not going to stay for a second Bush administration. "

Campaigning for Bush in Wisconsin on the eve of the Nov. 2 election,

said he expected to be asked to stay on. He said then that he would

listen, but planned to leave the job in 2005.

Faint rumblings of something bigger for , such as the Department of

Homeland Security, never gained momentum, and when its secretary, Tom Ridge,

stepped down this week, 's name never emerged as as potential

successor.

On Friday, Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York City,

got the nod from Bush to take over for Ridge.

As the nation's health czar, tried to set an example by watching

his diet, exercising, urging staffers to wear pedometers, encouraging people

to eat fruit and berating them not to smoke.

Not that he dieted fanatically, though: just this week, when top HHS

staffers belatedly marked his birthday, which falls on Nov. 19, the menu

featured ice cream and pizza.

His time at HHS saw travel around the world to promote the fight

against AIDS and other health issues. He also campaigned vigorously for

Bush's re-election.

A difficult personal time for and his family came earlier this year

when his daughter Tommi, then 33, underwent surgery for breast cancer,

becoming the third generation in the family to battle the disease. While

enlisting expert opinions on her case, lamented that even as HHS

chief, " pretty much, your hands are tied to prevent this from happening to

someone you love very much. "

Tommi is finance director for the Wisconsin Women's Health

Foundation, which Sue Ann , the secretary's wife, created in 1997 to

highlight issues from heart disease to nutrition and disease prevention.

A long political journey

, a grocer's son born in tiny Elroy, Wis., earned a law degree from

the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966. That year, he became a

representative in the Wisconsin Assembly, the start of his storied political

career that saw him earn a national reputation as an innovator for cutting

welfare roles and promoting school choice.

He had been governor for 14 years when he was tapped by President-elect

Bush, who called him a conservative, compassionate and creative leader.

" It's such an honor to have Tommy agree to . . . come and serve our

nation, " Bush said at the time of the appointment.

left Bush's side in Washington that day to appear, teary-eyed, at a

news conference in the Wisconsin Capitol. He said the announcement of his

departure as governor were the " hardest words I've ever spoken. "

Although he once derided Washington as " Disneyland East, " had

flirted with a presidential run in 2000. He had been viewed as a potential

running mate by Republican Bob Dole in 1996. never advanced beyond

a short list of contenders, and Dole chose Jack Kemp.

[Guest guest]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/nat/dec04/280781.asp

to announce resignation from Cabinet post

By KATHERINE M. SKIBA

kskiba@...

Posted: Dec. 3, 2004

Washington - Tommy G. will announce here this afternoon that he is

resigning as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has learned.

, 63, will hold an afternoon news conference to disclose the end to

his 38-year career in public service. He is leaving for the private sector,

a source close to said.

The news confirms 's frequently stated intentions to leave the Bush

administration after one term. He will be the eighth cabinet member to leave

since election day.

His long career in government and politics began with his election to the

Wisconsin Assembly. He won an unprecedented four terms as Wisconsin

governor, leaving the last one to be sworn in as HHS secretary on Feb. 2,

2001.

The post made the nation's top health official, putting him at the

helm of a vast, complex department with more than 60,000 employees and a

budget bigger than all but a handful of countries. The budget in fiscal year

2003 was nearly $503 billion.

Health and Human Services encompasses a dozen agencies. including the

Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Among his achievements, counts strengthening preparedness for a

bioterrorism attack, increasing funding at the National Institutes of Health

and reorganizing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, formerly

known as the Health Care Financing Administration.

He was on the Bush cabinet during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and

the subsequent anthrax outbreaks. His tenure was marked by Medicare reform,

the White House decision to limit the stem cell lines available for federal

research and a fight with states - one of them Wisconsin - over the

importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

The budget for HHS for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 is $573 billion.

has traveled to 36 foreign countries as HHS chief.

In becoming the 19th secretary of Health and Human Services,

succeeding Donna Shalala, another Wisconsin appointee. Shalala, the

formerchancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served the full

eight years of President Bill Clinton's administration.

'I'm not going to stay'

The impending announcement today will hew to 's repeated public

statements that he would step down after Bush's first term.

" I'm not going to stay - I don't know how much plainer I can be, " he said in

March. " I'm not going to stay for a second Bush administration. "

Campaigning for Bush in Wisconsin on the eve of the Nov. 2 election,

said he expected to be asked to stay on. He said then that he would

listen, but planned to leave the job in 2005.

Faint rumblings of something bigger for , such as the Department of

Homeland Security, never gained momentum, and when its secretary, Tom Ridge,

stepped down this week, 's name never emerged as as potential

successor.

On Friday, Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York City,

got the nod from Bush to take over for Ridge.

As the nation's health czar, tried to set an example by watching

his diet, exercising, urging staffers to wear pedometers, encouraging people

to eat fruit and berating them not to smoke.

Not that he dieted fanatically, though: just this week, when top HHS

staffers belatedly marked his birthday, which falls on Nov. 19, the menu

featured ice cream and pizza.

His time at HHS saw travel around the world to promote the fight

against AIDS and other health issues. He also campaigned vigorously for

Bush's re-election.

A difficult personal time for and his family came earlier this year

when his daughter Tommi, then 33, underwent surgery for breast cancer,

becoming the third generation in the family to battle the disease. While

enlisting expert opinions on her case, lamented that even as HHS

chief, " pretty much, your hands are tied to prevent this from happening to

someone you love very much. "

Tommi is finance director for the Wisconsin Women's Health

Foundation, which Sue Ann , the secretary's wife, created in 1997 to

highlight issues from heart disease to nutrition and disease prevention.

A long political journey

, a grocer's son born in tiny Elroy, Wis., earned a law degree from

the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966. That year, he became a

representative in the Wisconsin Assembly, the start of his storied political

career that saw him earn a national reputation as an innovator for cutting

welfare roles and promoting school choice.

He had been governor for 14 years when he was tapped by President-elect

Bush, who called him a conservative, compassionate and creative leader.

" It's such an honor to have Tommy agree to . . . come and serve our

nation, " Bush said at the time of the appointment.

left Bush's side in Washington that day to appear, teary-eyed, at a

news conference in the Wisconsin Capitol. He said the announcement of his

departure as governor were the " hardest words I've ever spoken. "

Although he once derided Washington as " Disneyland East, " had

flirted with a presidential run in 2000. He had been viewed as a potential

running mate by Republican Bob Dole in 1996. never advanced beyond

a short list of contenders, and Dole chose Jack Kemp.