HALLELUIA!!
God does work in mysterious ways!!!
First, for eight long weeks, we've been sounding the alarm about the need for healthcare reform and for Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas, to be successfully nominated as the next Health and Human Services Secretary! But it took swine flu, and 13,000 of your petition signatures, to remind Republican Senators that partisan politicking can have real consequences for American lives.
Yesterday, Senate Republicans retreated from their hold on Governor Sebelius and, just before 6pm, the Senate voted 65-31 to confirm Kathleen Sebelius as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Watch the video of SEIU members Dana Graham and Cheryl Moon delivering our petition of nearly 13,000 signatures to Capitol Hill:
http://action.seiu.org/confirmed Immediately following the vote, Sebelius was on a plane to Washington to take her oath of office. President Obama explained the urgency of her confirmation:
"We wanted to swear her in right away because we've got a significant public health challenge that requires her immediate attention...We need all hands on deck."
Today, Secretary Sebelius is already hard at work. She's calling on Congress to increase funding for pandemic flu preparedness, vaccine production, and aid to state and local governments. With more infections occurring daily, her confirmation is not a moment too soon.
In the past few days, our efforts drove dozens of media outlets to ask tough questions about the Senate Republicans' hold on Sebelius. Because of you, reporters from CNN to the New York Times put the Senate GOP in the spotlight as they played politics with the health of our nation.
Click here to see the results of your efforts:
http://action.seiu.org/confirmed Real leadership during difficult times - that's all we ask from our elected officials. And, because of you keeping the pessure on your Senators and House of Representatives, that's what we now have with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius!
Second, in what came as a surprise to EVERYone, Republican Alan Spector officially announced he was joining the Democratic Party!!!! What a blow to Republicans and their fillibuster tactics! What a triumph for Obama and Democrats in the US!
Now, there's still work to do to get healthcare reform shaped into policy, but please take a moment to send a quick note of thanks to your Senator (www.senate.gov) and your House of Representative (www.house.gov) and while you're at it, send a warm welcome to Alan Spector, too.
Just as important, I urge you to please join Healthcare For America Now at
www.healthcareforamericanow.org. Healthcare For America Now is the largest grassroots organization aggressively supporting healthcare reform under President Obama's Stimulus Plan. There is true strength in numbers and the two unexpected victories this week demonstrates how one powerful voice that demands change in America's healthcare delivery system makes a difference!
Thanks for making it happen,
Jessica Kutch
Online Campaign Manager
SEIU Healthcare
Posted (with edits) By:
Agnes B. Levine
The Obama Healthcare Advocacy Team
Posted By: agnes levine
Wednesday, April 29th 2009 at 5:19PM
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