April 23, 2014
Top News Today
Sebelius’ botched roll-out of Mr. Obama’s signature health care bill and its failed enrollment website left her a lame duck in her department and a West Wing outcast. With the Affordable Care Act now up and running smoothly with 8 million applicants, President Obama made it known last week that Sylvia Mathews Burwell is his choice to lead the Health Dept.
Ms. Burwell is a 48-year-old Harvard and Oxford graduate from West Virginia, with a background in economic policy and a valuable tenure in running the budget office (which is deeply involved in developing and carrying out health care policy). She is expected to be a welcome addition to her new position and to bring intense focus and management expertise to the department.
So, who exactly is Sylvia Mathews Burwell and why is the President of the United States so enamored with her? Here are a few pieces of trivia about the new nominee that the general public may not know:
SHE’S INCREDIBLY SMART
Burwell is a West Virginia native who graduated from Harvard University cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in government, before receiving additional degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. Interestingly, she began her political career while still in college, interning for West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall.
SHE WORKED FOR ANOTHER PRESIDENT
Barack Obama will not be the first president that Burwell has served. She also worked under former President Bill Clinton, serving as deputy chief of staff to the president, chief of staff to the Secretary of the Treasury and as staff director of the National Economic Council. She also served at the Office of Management and Budget twice, as deputy director under Mr. Clinton from 1998 to 2001 and currently as OBM director under Mr. Obama since April 2013.
SHE WAS FORCED INTO LAST YEAR’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
During last year’s budget squabbles, Burwell was forced to close several national parks when it became clear that lawmakers were not able to agree on a budget. In a memo, Burwell wrote: “Agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations […] We urge Congress to act quickly to pass a Continuing Resolution to provide a short-term bridge that ensures sufficient time to pass a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year.”
SHE’S A WIZ AT HANDLING MONEY AND CRISIS
During her illustrious career, Burwell gained skills crucial for her potential new role as HHS secretary. Not only has she managed billion-dollar global budgets and gained experience on fiscal policy, she has also gained invaluable expertise in crisis management. Burwell was named deputy chief of staff for policy in the late 1990′s when news of the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. Her primary task was to keep the White House focused on its agenda while Clinton fought off impeachment. Last year during the government shutdown, President Obama called her “a rock […] who helped navigate the country through a very challenging time.”
SHE (accidentally) RAN HALF A MARATHON
When Burwell once traveled to England for a meeting during the Clinton administration, she wanted to go for a quick run, but got completely lost. Since she had a meeting later that day and was afraid to miss it, Burwell kept running until she found back to her hotel. When she arrived, she had run 13 miles. “That’s the longest I’ve ever run,” Burwell later said. “And it was not intentional.”
SHE ONCE HAD AN UNUSUAL DATE
Sylvia and Stephen Burwell were married in 2007. During their 5th date, he asked if she wanted to go on a 100-mile, 2-day bike ride. According to Burwell: “Even though my bike still had the sticker on and flat tires from when I moved from Washington, D.C., I said ‘absolutely.’ It was 10 days off. So I took my bike to the gas station, pumped up the tires, rode it a few times and hoped for the best.”
SHE’S BIG ON CHARITY WORK
For the past several years, Burwell has engaged in more charity work, focusing on such issues as agricultural development, global health and poverty-eradication. She served as president of the Walmart Foundation (a role for which she drew criticism due to the company’s labor policies) and prior to that, as chief operating officer and head of the global development program at the Gates Foundation.
HER NEIGHBORS INSPIRE HER
In an interview with The Seattle Times, Burwell named her neighbor Margie Hank as one of the people who inspire her the most. “Margie is in her 70s,” Burwell said. “She and her husband, who just had heart surgery, are back at bowling. They try new things. They taught themselves to use the computer. They have one of the biggest collections of National Geographic.”
REPUBLICANS LOVE HER
Burwell is not only loved by Democrats, but House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said that “Burwell has led an impressive career in both the public and private sectors […]. She has first-hand experience in budgeting responsibly. She helped a Democratic president commit to a balanced budget and work with a Republican Congress to get it done.” Last Thursday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tweeted: “Sylvia Burwell is an excellent choice to be the next #HHS Secretary.”
