E-MAILED TO HEYWARD ROBINSON
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 95 09:35:20 EST
From: [email protected]
To: Heyward Robinson
Subject: The nomination of Henry Foster
Thank you for contacting my office via INTERNET regarding
the nomination of Dr. Henry Foster. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to
respond to your concerns.
As a member of the United States Senate, I take my Article
II, Section 2 "advise and consent" responsibilities very seriously. In
general, I believe the President should have broad latitude to appoint those
individuals who he believes can best represent the nation’s interests at home
and abroad. At the same time, I will not hesitate to withhold my support for
any nominee who I believe is unable to serve the country in the capacity in
which he or she has been nominated.
On Tuesday, February 28, 1995, the Administration formally
forwarded Dr. Henry Foster's nomination to become U.S. Surgeon General to the Senate.
The submission of the 61-year old
doctor's name was delayed because of the time involved in completing the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check and other necessary
paperwork.
If confirmed, Dr. Foster would replace Dr. Joycelyn Elders.
President Clinton dismissed Elders late last year after a series of contentious
remarks she had made on a variety of public health issues.
On June 21, the U.S. Senate voted 57-43 not to end debate
on the nomination of Dr. Foster. Because
60 votes are needed to invoke cloture, thereby ending debate, the 57 vote total
was three votes short of the amount required. Nonetheless, Senator Robert Dole (R-KS) agreed to and called a
second vote the following day. That
vote ended with the same tally, all but ensuring Dr. Foster will not become the
next U.S. Surgeon General.
Because I had serious questions about several of Dr. Foster's
assertions, as well as some concerns about his ability to provide an effective
voice on the variety of public health issues I voted against the nomination. In the event of any further floor votes, I do
not intend to change my position on Dr. Foster's nomination.
Thanks again for your interest in the nomination of Dr.
Foster. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact
my office.
John Ashcroft
United States Senate