{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20131221050302/http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov:80/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-statement-on-announcement-of-healthcaregov-ceo", "Blumenthal Statement On Announcement Of Healthcare.Gov CEO", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Tuesday, December 17, 2013\n\t\t\t(Washington, DC) \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement in response to the Administration\u2019s announcement Tuesday that former Microsoft executive Kurt DelBene will replace current healthcare.gov head Jeff Zients:\n\u201cI welcome the Administration\u2019s decision to respond to calls, including mine, for a permanent chief executive officer to oversee healthcare.gov. The Administration must continue its aggressive efforts to improve the website. I pledge cooperation with Kurt DelBene as he seeks to work effectively to ensure excellent customer service for millions of Americans seeking health insurance they deserve.\u201d\nLate last month, Blumenthal \u2013 joined by six of his colleagues \u2013 sent a letter to President Obama requesting a permanent executive to oversee the healthcare.gov website. The full text of the letter can be found below:\nNovember 25, 2013\nPresident Barack Obama\nThe White House\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.\nWashington, DC 20500\nDear Mr. President:\nAs supporters of the Affordable Care Act, we have been deeply disappointed and frustrated with the many problems surrounding the law\u2019s rollout, including the initial failure of the healthcare.gov website.\u00a0\nThese early missteps are all the more unfortunate because of the potential benefits of the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0 An effective implementation of this law would mean that millions of Americans would no longer be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions, have to worry about caps on lifetime benefits, or pay a co-pay or deductible to receive preventive services.\u00a0 Women will no longer be charged higher premiums simply because of their gender, young adults can stay on their parents\u2019 plans until they are 26, and those without employer coverage can purchase affordable health insurance on the exchange with subsidies for low and middle-income families.\nWhile we cannot go backward and correct mistakes made, we must now work together to fix the law so that it works for all Americans.\u00a0 To that end, we appreciate that your administration is making a concerted effort to improve the functionality of healthcare.gov, and we commend your decision to appoint Jeffrey Zients to manage this critical project.\u00a0 He has a record of success and strong leadership in the federal government and the private sector, and we agree that Mr. Zients is the right person to lead these efforts.\u00a0 But with Mr. Zients departing to become director of the National Economic Council on January 2nd, we urge you to quickly appoint a replacement and extend the duration of the position until after the 2015 open-enrollment period concludes.\nA project of this size and scope demands the sustained leadership and day-to-day management of a chief executive officer \u2013 someone whose sole responsibility would be an unrelenting focus on healthcare.gov and who has experience overseeing large and complex consumer-facing technology projects.\nThe position should report directly to you and should be empowered with the authority to ensure that healthcare.gov is fixed quickly, completely, and permanently.\nLike you, we want the Affordable Care Act to succeed and for every American to enjoy the health and cost benefits it can provide, but the law\u2019s success is inextricably tied to the confidence of the American people.\u00a0 Sustaining the steady management focus that this position has already brought to the project would go a long way toward earning back the trust jeopardized by last month\u2019s deeply flawed rollout.\nSincerely,\nSignatories:\nJeanne Shaheen (D-NH); Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Mark Warner (D-VA); Christopher A. Coons (D-DE); Mary Landrieu (D-LA); Mark Udall (D-CO); Tim Kaine (D-VA)\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\n\t\t\t\t\tJosh Zembik \u2013 202-224-6452 Josh_Zembik@blumenthal.senate.gov", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20131221050302/http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov:80/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-statement-on-announcement-of-healthcaregov-ceo"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5942591708153486, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}