Kathleen Sebelius,65, who oversaw the trouble rollout of the ACA is resigning as secretary of Health and Human Service.
The officials said President Barack Obama on Friday will nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, currently director of the White House Office and Management and Budget, to succeed Sebelius, the former governor of Kansas, who was an original member of the Cabinet that Obama appointed when he took office in January 2009.
No reason for Sebelius’ departure was immediately available, but she came under criticism as head of the agency in charge of the rollout of Obama’s health care reform initiative.
A White official said Sebelius told Obama of her intentions in early March,, but she didn’t tip her hand when she told the Senate Finance Committee earlier Thursday that 7.5 million Americans had signed up for health coverage under the new law — a figure that exceeded the original expectations despite the problems with the rollout. Testifying before a House committee in October, she conceded that the website, healthcare.gov, was “a miserably frustrating experience for way too many Americans.”
The White House official said Obama was “deeply grateful” for Sebelius’ service.
