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Obama’s health secretary pick withdraws nomination

Editor:Sharon Lee
Source:新华网
Updated: 2009-2-4 15:45:57

　　WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's choice for health secretary in his cabinet, Tom Daschle, withdrew his nomination on Tuesday over tax problems.

　　"This morning, Tom Daschle asked me to withdraw his nomination for secretary of health and human services," Obama said in a statement. "I accept his decision with sadness and regret."

　　Secretary-designate for Health and Human Services Tom Daschle speaks to the media after meeting with Senate Finance Committee about his pending nomination on Capitol Hill in Washington February 2, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

　　Profile: Obama's pick for health secretary Daschle

　　Daschle said that he made the decision because he is not a leader who can have the full faith of Congress and will be a distraction to Obama's administration.

　　"We need the best care in America to be available to all Americans," Daschle said in the statement issued from the White House. "Lives and livelihoods are at stake."

　　Daschle was the second nominee to the Obama administration that withdrew on Tuesday, following the former nominee for White House chief performance officer, Nancy Killefer, who was also plagued by a personal tax issue.

　　U.S. media reports said earlier that Daschle, a former Senator from South Dakota, was forced to pay on Jan. 2 more than 120,000 U.S. dollars in back taxes for failing to report using a car and driver service provided by a wealthy friend for over three years.

　　Daschle apologized on Monday in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, which would decide on his confirmation, saying that he was "deeply embarrassed and disappointed" about his failure to pay taxes.

　　"I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed by the errors that required me to amend my tax returns," said Daschle. "I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them."

　　Apart from the tax issue, Daschle's nomination was also haunted by his financial disclosure filed about a week ago, showing he made more than 200,000 dollars in the past two years by speaking to the health care industry that he is tasked to reform.

　　Nevertheless, Obama voiced his "absolute" support for Daschle on Monday.

　　The nation's leading newspaper, the New York Times, called for Daschle's withdrawal in its Tuesday editorial, saying "only after the Obama transition team flagged unrelated tax issues that would require filing amended returns did Mr. Daschle and his accountant address the need to report the personal use value of the car service -- more than 255,000 U.S. dollars over three years -- as income."

　　It was considered another embarrassment for the Obama administration, which has witnessed three key designees give up their nomination for scandals related to corruption cases and tax problems.

　　Obama's first choice for commerce secretary, Bill Richardson, withdrew his nomination last month due to involvement in a corruption case still under investigation. The president on Tuesday nominated Republican Senator Judd Gregg as a replacement.

　　However, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who was also criticized for not paying enough tax but in a smaller scale, survived the Senate confirmation last week.

新闻参考：奥巴马撤回卫生部长提名

     新华网华盛顿２月３日电（记者 杨晴川 王薇）美国白宫３日说，卫生部长人选、前南达科他州国会参议员汤姆·达施勒因漏税问题要求撤回提名，并已获总统奥巴马批准。

　　白宫在一份声明中说，奥巴马对此感到“难过和遗憾”。达施勒则在另一份声明中说，在目前情况下，他无法获得国会的信任，如不撤回提名将干扰奥巴马施政。　

　　去年１２月，奥巴马提名达施勒为卫生部长人选，并委以推行医疗改革计划的重任。但更近参议院讨论达施勒的提名时，媒体披露他曾经漏交十几万美元的税款，导致提名审批过程被迫延长。尽管达施勒上个月已交清了１４万多美元的税款及罚款，但面临的舆论压力与日俱增。此外，达施勒还涉嫌为医疗行业当说客，从而存在利益冲突问题。

　　除达施勒外，奥巴马提名的财政部长人选盖特纳和白宫首席绩效官人选基利弗也被披露有漏税行为。盖特纳的提名已获参议院批准，但基利弗迫于压力于３日早些时候要求撤回提名并获批准。

　　达施勒现年６１岁，民主党人，２００１年至２００３年在参议院担任多数党领袖。

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