On the brink of the Supreme Court's decision on King v. Burwell, HHS Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell is earning high marks from her political opponents, according to The Hill.
"She came in with high expectations from Republicans as well as Democrats, and I think she's met them," said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who leads the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, according to The Hill.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told The Hill, "I would consider her one of Obama's very best Cabinet members."
Ms. Burwell's leadership style
Ms. Burwell makes developing positive relationships on both sides of the aisle a priority. According to The Hill, every six weeks or so, she meets for breakfast with chairmen and other ranking members of every committee that has jurisdiction over HHS issues.
Part of what makes her an effective leader is her "blocking and tackling of basic congressional relations," said Sen. Alexander. She is also attuned to members' personal interests. According to The Hill, when Sen. Cole was preparing for a trip to a center for child migrants in Oklahoma last year, Ms. Burwell called him the day before he departed to tell him what to expect. She even gave him her cell phone number in case he saw anything that didn't match what she said.
"She's a hard person not to like," Sen. Cole said, according to The Hill. "It's like you always admire the best players on the other team, and you wish they were on your team. I admire Secretary Burwell a great deal, and I wish she was on my side of the aisle."
Ms. Burwell's likeability is due, in part, to her "unbreakable calm and humility," which former Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) calls the "jiu jitsu factor."
"What she has done, at [the Office of Management and Budget] and the White House and all the rest of it — she's very good at politics, but you wouldn't figure that, would you? She doesn't talk like it," the former senator said.
Ms. Burwell's style is less combative than her predecessor, Kathleen Seblius, who was known to raise her voice and talk over other members at committee hearings, according to the report. Committee members say Ms. Burwell is friendly is always prepared to answer questions, and has demonstrated a commitment "to working in a bipartisan fashion" to improve access to better healthcare.
"She's got enormous credibility on both sides of the aisle," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who leads the Senate's Affordable Care Act Works campaign.
Her opponents
Ms. Burwell has experienced contention in Congress, mostly regarding King v. Burwell. One of the most heated exchanges occurred in February at a panel that was supposed to focus on her department's budget, but turned into a barrage from the committee's two highest-ranking Republicans about the administration's court plans.
"You're a highly intelligent, charming person, but you've refused to answer our questions, and to me, that doesn't strike me as trying to work with Congress but rather [as] contemptuous of Congress's responsibilities," said Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, with agreement from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), according to The Hill.