Women's group wants Stabenow in Obama cabinet

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is “pushing Sen. Debbie Stabenow for the HHS post that Tom Daschle just opted out of,”

The National Organization for Women is urging President Barack Obama to name Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The cabinet position reopened when former senator Tom Daschle asked on Tuesday that his name be withdrawn because of controversy about unpaid taxes.

NOW said in a news release that Stabenow "has long focused on health care as a priority, and with her background as a social worker she is well positioned to take the helm of this agency."

The Secretary of Health and Human Services oversees the massive Medicaid and Medicare programs, among other efforts.

Only three women are now among the 14 members of Obama's proposed cabinet, NOW pointed out.

Stabenow's office declined comment on the recommendation.

Many other names have been floated for the job in recent days.

In a Politico reports.

In a letter to supporters, the organization touts Stabenow’s background as a social worker and says she is “well positioned to take the helm of this agency that is so critical to women and families.”

The letter continues:

“Sen. Stabenow’s first bill in the Senate was the Medical Equity and Drug Savings Act to lower prescription drug prices by encouraging competition, and she has been a stalwart champion of full health coverage. The National Association for Home Care named her a Home Health Hero, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare bestowed on Stabenow their highest award.

With the nomination of Sen. Judd Gregg, the fourteen filled cabinet departments will be headed by eleven men and three women. Adding a highly-qualified woman, such as Sen. Stabenow, would increase the representation of half the population at the cabinet table, while adding health care and human needs expertise to HHS.”

Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced that they plan to introduce an amendment to the Senate stimulus package tonight that would help American automakers sell their cars ,while also taking older, less fuel-efficient cars off the road. The Sell Fuel Efficient Cars Amendment would provide a rebate of $10,000 to buyers who trade in a car more than ten years old for a new car assembled in the United States.

“The auto industry supports one out of every 10 jobs in this country, and so let’s be frank - as the automobile industry goes, so goes the U.S. economy. We are not going to have a strong economic recovery in our country without a strong recovery in the automobile industry,” said Harkin. “This amendment is not another bailout and it is not another handout. Autoworkers want nothing more than to be back on the job full-time, producing high-quality cars that Americans want to buy. This amendment will help make that happen by giving Americans robust incentives to buy new cars and trucks now, despite the steep economic downturn.”

“With U.S. auto sales at a 25-year low, we must provide incentives encouraging consumers to purchase vehicles,” said Stabenow. “Not only will this amendment spur new domestic auto sales, but it will get older, less fuel-efficient vehicles off the road and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Eligibility for the rebate would be limited to households with an adjusted gross income below $75,000 on their prior year’s income tax return, or individuals with an adjusted gross income under $50,000. There would be a one car limit per individual or family.

Those who are eligible would be required to trade in a car that is over 10 years old and still operational. The rebate must be used to purchase a new, fuel-efficient car or truck assembled in the United States. The new vehicle must have an average fuel economy above 25 miles per gallon for a car and 20 miles per gallon for a truck measured under the stricter five cycle EPA standard; and more than five miles per gallon better than the trade-in. The trade-in vehicle would be destroyed.

The amendment provides $16 billion which would cover more than 1.5 million purchases. The program would end once the funds ran out, but no later than September 30, 2010.