HHS nominee Kathleen Sebelius (photo) became the second appointee for the agency to admit underpaying her taxes. Sebelilus fixed three years' worth of returns to fix "unintentional" problems, and paid almost $8,000 in back taxes and interest.
The snafu may not be serious enough to jeopardize her nomination, however. Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus issued a statement saying the errors were "minor" and accidental, and that he supported her confirmation. (The committee's ranking Republican, the ever-critical Sen. Charles Grassley, said, essentially, that he's reserving judgment till after Thursday's confirmation hearing.)
As you know, Sen. Tom Daschle's nomination to head up HHS hit the wall after a tax review found he owed some $140,000 in back taxes and interest. Plus, questions arose about his independence--or lack thereof.
- read Baucus' statement
- get the news from the Los Angeles Times
- see the Health Blog post