Daschle Withdraws as Nominee for HHS Secretary

Former North Dakota Senator Tom Daschle has removed his name from consideration as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - Former Senator Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination as President Barack Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Service on Tuesday amid concerns over tax issues and conflicts of interest.

Daschle stated that he didn't feel he had the full trust of the American people or of the congress and felt the cloud over his nomination could be a distraction from the issues. In addition to stepping back from the position as HHS Secretary he has also removed himself from consideration as the White House Health Czar, the other post offered by the President.

The announcement came less than three hours after Nancy Killefer, nominee for the government's first chief performance officer over tax problems.

The former senator was the third nominee to remove himself from nomination, the first being New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to was tapped as the next Secretary of Commerce.

Sources on Capitol Hill have indicated that Daschle's withdrawal will set back the initiatives for health care reform as he had such familiarity with the inner workings of the Congress.

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