The Nation : White House Requests Sullivan Hearing

The White House asked Congress to reschedule confirmation hearings for Louis W. Sullivan, the health and human services secretary-designate, in the wake of his decision to forfeit money from his medical school presidency. The move by the Administration signaled that the White House is satisfied with Sullivan’s financial disclosure and the FBI background check, which had been cited earlier as reasons to postpone a previously scheduled hearing. The hearing was back on track after Sullivan decided to forgo $297,000 in funds due him from his contract with the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, which he heads as president. In a White House statement last weekend, Sullivan said he had agreed to take an unpaid leave of absence to avoid an appearance of a conflict of interest between the HHS job and Morehouse, which receives federal funds.