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The Senate is advancing Seema Verma, President Trump's nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Senators voted 54-44 Thursday on her nomination, which needed only a simple majority to overcome the initial procedural hurdle. (Carney, 3/9)

The Senate voted 54-44 to shut off debate on the nomination of Seema Verma for the position of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator. In that position, she is likely to bolster GOP efforts to shrink the federal footprint in delivering health care. A confirmation vote is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday. As CMS chief, Verma would lead an agency that oversees about $1 trillion in federal spending. Democrats have used her nomination vote to make clear their objections to GOP bids to revise and scale back the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152). (Young, 3/9)