{mosads}Cantor doesn’t get a vote on Tavenner’s nomination, but his support is a signal that Republicans might be willing to support her, even though such a move would allow President Obama to permanently fill a crucially important healthcare position.

Tavenner didn’t even get a hearing when Obama first nominated her last year; she has been leading the agency since then on an acting basis.

Her predecessor, Don Berwick, faced deep opposition from Republicans, who accused him of supporting “rationing.” Berwick had been widely respected as a professor at Harvard Medical School, but was sure to face a hostile GOP when he was nominated to lead the Medicare agency less than a month after Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.