Senate committee advances a Trump-aligned pick for HHS watchdog, a role long seen as nonpartisan

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday voted to advance a candidate openly supportive of President Donald Trump to be inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, a role that is traditionally viewed as nonpartisan.

The 14-13 vote in the Republican-led Senate Finance Committee sends Thomas March Bell’s nomination to the full, Republican-controlled Senate, where he is expected to be confirmed to lead the office charged with investigating fraud, waste and abuse in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The Republican candidate’s outspoken alignment with Trump and his history of working for GOP lawmakers for decades have raised questions about his independence for a role that’s intended to scrutinize and root out fraud in some of the nation’s biggest spending programs. A number of Democratic lawmakers have criticized Bell’s nomination.

His nomination also follows a pattern of Trump prioritizing loyalty in his hires across his administration, even in roles that have long been considered independent. Earlier this year, Trump ousted watchdogs across the government, including the HHS inspector general, prompting a smattering of lawsuits over whether he did so legally.

Bell, an attorney who currently serves as senior counsel for investigations on the Republican-led House Administration Committee, has said he will support the initiatives of Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if confirmed as inspector general.

In prepared testimony for his confirmation hearing, he acknowledged that the role is independent but added that he intends to “provide actionable information in support of the President’s and Secretary’s courageous and innovative change of direction for the improved health of all Americans.”

He said in response to questions that he is committed to the rule of law and “will do examinations, evaluations, inspections, investigations and audits to make sure that the programs that Congress passes are running as efficiently as possible without waste, fraud and abuse.”

As HHS inspector general, Bell would also be tasked with investigating hospitals and insurers and ensuring they follow regulations. The office has the power to enforce stiff penalties.

Bell has long worked for Republican politicians and congressional offices and served as chief of staff in the HHS Office of Civil Rights during Trump’s first term.

In 1997, he was fired from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality after a state audit showed he improperly authorized a nearly $8,000 payment to the agency’s former spokesman, according to reports from the time.

In 2016, Bell helped lead an investigation by House Republicans into Planned Parenthood’s use of fetal tissue for medical research.

On Wednesday, 60 abortion rights groups and other advocacy organizations sent a letter asking senators to reject the nomination, alleging Bell has a history of “unethical conduct, extreme partisanship, and abuse of power that has harmed taxpayers, spread misinformation, and put reproductive health care providers at risk.”

During his confirmation hearing, Bell expressed openness to further investigating abortion clinics as HHS inspector general. He said such investigations are “exactly the kind of thing that an inspector general must have the courage to do — follow the law and follow the facts even if it’s unpopular.”