HHS Watchdog Pick Faces Democratic Blowback Ahead of Hearing

Senate Democrats are urging fellow lawmakers to halt the nomination process of President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead a federal office for combating fraud and mismanagement at the US Department of Health and Human Services, arguing the position isn’t technically vacant.

Authored by Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), and other Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, the letter on Wednesday comes a week before the committee is slated to consider Trump’s nomination of attorney Thomas March Bell to serve as inspector general of the HHS.

The lawmakers argue that Trump “flagrantly disregarded federal law” when trying to ...