President Biden Announces Key Nominees of his Health and Human Service, Education, and Veteran Affairs Teams

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden named several key nominees to the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure is nominated to serve as the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), James Kvaal is nominated to serve as Under Secretary of Education, and Richard Sauber is nominated to serve as General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As tested and experienced leaders, these nominees will help advance President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and build a stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive nation that delivers every American a fair opportunity and an equal chance to get ahead.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Nominee for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure is currently Managing Director at Manatt. Brooks-LaSure is a former policy official who played a key role in guiding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through passage and implementation, she also provides policy analysis and strategic advice to healthcare stakeholders across the private and public sectors. Brooks-LaSure has more than 20 years of experience in health policy. As deputy director for policy at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and earlier at the Department of Health & Human Services as director of coverage policy, she led the agency’s implementation of ACA coverage and insurance reform policy provisions.

James Kvaal, Nominee for Under Secretary of Education

James Kvaal is the president of the Institute for College Access & Success. He previously served as the deputy domestic policy adviser at the White House, where he worked on a range of issues related to economic opportunity. His work on higher education included initiatives to make college tuition more affordable, protect students from unaffordable loans, and help many more students graduate from college. Over the course of his career, he has also served in senior roles at the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. House of Representatives,  and the U.S. Senate. Kvaal has taught at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and attended Stanford University and Harvard Law School.

Richard Sauber, Nominee for Veteran Affairs General Counsel

Dick Sauber is a skilled litigator who has tried dozens of criminal and civil fraud cases. Before entering private practice, Sauber was a federal prosecutor and was appointed by President Reagan to form and lead the first multi-agency task force to concentrate on pursuing fraud in government contracts.  In his career, Sauber has tried jury cases in New York, Washington, California, Texas, Florida and Oklahoma, and his appellate work includes arguing cases before the Supreme Court and ten of the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Sauber was an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School and has served as general counsel for Freedom House.

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