Donnelly Opposes Price's Nomination for HHS

U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana) says he will oppose President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump named Georgia U.S. Rep. Tom Price as his choice to become HHS Secretary. Price, an outspoken opponent of the Affordable Care Act, has also been part of the House Republican effort to reform Medicare.

Donnelly says Price has “led the charge to privatize Medicare,” which the Hoosier Democrat strongly opposes. Last week, Donnelly released a video discussing his opposition to certain Medicare reforms, including those Price supports.

“I have opposed efforts to private Medicare in the past and I will oppose any effort to privatize Medicare or turn it into a voucher program in the future,” Donnelly says.

Donnelly says he’ll work to improve health care access but calls Price’s nomination a “direct path to end Medicare as we know it.”

Price’s nomination is the first Trump cabinet appointment that Donnelly has publicly declared to oppose or support.