Senate Panel Clears Sebelius for HHS Post

It looks like President Obama will finally get his full Cabinet. A Senate panel today approved his pick of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be director of Health and Human Services, the Hill reports. The vote, largely along party lines, all but assures that Sebelius will be approved by the full Senate despite lingering GOP opposition.

Sebelius ran into trouble over back taxes and ties to a late-term abortion doctor in Kansas who has been a longtime donor. Sebelius initially failed to disclose all those donations before correcting what she called an oversight. Finance Committee chief Max Baucus said he will push for a quick vote in the full Senate so Sebelius can get to work on health reform. (More Kathleen Sebelius stories.)