Senate Panel Plans Vote on Foster Nomination
The Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee has scheduled a May 24 vote on the nomination of Dr. Henry W. Foster Jr. to become surgeon general.
The nomination of Foster, a Tennessee obstetrician-gynecologist, has run into controversy over abortions he performed, his knowledge of a syphilis study among black men in Alabama and his work in a program aimed at reducing teen-age pregnancies.
So far, only one of the nine Republicans on the panel has announced support for Foster: Sen. James M. Jeffords of Vermont. Assuming all seven Democrats support him, that would mean an 8-8 tie. However, a committee can send a nomination to the Senate floor with either a positive or negative recommendation, or with none at all.
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