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Ryan calls for Sebelius to step down

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) became the latest Republican to call for Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to resign over the shaky rollout of the healthcare law. 

On a Tuesday night conference call for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli (R), Ryan said, “I do agree” that Sebelius should step down, according to multiple reports.

{mosads}“I’d probably say that to her if I ever saw her in person,” he said. “It’s becoming more and more clear by the day that they knew the rollout wouldn’t go well.” 

Ryan said she failed to heed warning signs that the exchanges were not ready to be rolled out Oct. 1. 

“That looks like a call she made along with people in the White House,” Ryan said. “And I do believe people should be held accountable.”

Ryan also sent a letter to Sebelius on Tuesday asking why he had not received a response to inquiries made in August about the law’s implementation. 

“Your continued silence on these important inquiries after refusing to testify raises serious questions about the administration’s commitment to transparency and accountably,” he said in the letter. 

Sebelius has agreed to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Oct. 30. 

Ryan also asked for a breakdown of the costs associated with the tech surge the Obama administration has touted to repair the HealthCare.gov website. 

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) was the first lawmaker to call for Sebelius’s resignation. Since then, a number of Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, have followed suit. 

In an interview Tuesday night on CNN, Sebelius said she had not discussed resignation with President Obama and is focused on fixing the problems. 

“I think my job is to get this fully implemented and to get the website working right,” she said. “And that’s really what I’m focused on.  I work at the pleasure of the president, and he is singularly focused on making sure we deliver on this promise. That’s what I’m committed to doing.”

Tags Kathleen Sebelius Pat Roberts Paul Ryan Ted Cruz

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