{"id":2574468,"date":"2026-02-27T14:11:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T19:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obama-and-biden-era-staffers-hold-leadership-positions-in-trump-cms\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T14:17:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T19:17:46","slug":"obama-and-biden-era-staffers-hold-leadership-positions-in-trump-cms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obama-and-biden-era-staffers-hold-leadership-positions-in-trump-cms\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama and Biden-era staffers hold leadership positions in Trump CMS"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fobama-and-biden-era-staffers-hold-leadership-positions-in-trump-cms%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574468&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Washington Examiner review finds that a ample number of senior leaders at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are holdovers from the Obama and Biden administrations, or have ties to left\u2011of\u2011center groups, raising questions about how the Trump management\u2019s promised crackdown on Medicare\/Medicaid fraud would be carried out. The analysis identifies several key CMS divisions led by such civil servants, including the agency\u2019s oversight and enrollment policy offices, and notes that roughly four dozen senior CMS staffers wiht Democratic backgrounds have been documented, with more likely overall.Proponents say civil servants provide necessary continuity, while critics argue they can hinder the president\u2019s agenda and policy direction. The piece also describes Trump\u2011era actions aimed at curbing fraud\u2014such as deferring $259.5 million in minnesota Medicaid funding pending fraud investigations, imposing a Medicare enrollment moratorium for certain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/philips-subsidiary-to-pay-over-24-million-for-alleged-false-claims-for-medical-equipment\/\" title=\"Philips subsidiary to pay over  million for alleged false claims for medical equipment\">medical equipment suppliers<\/a>, and pushing broader regulatory fraud protections\u2014and situates these moves within a debate over bureaucrats\u2019 influence on policy. CMS did not respond to requests for comment, and the article places the story in the larger context of longstanding tensions between political leadership and career staff in federal agencies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Obama and Biden-era staffers retain leadership positions in Trump&rsquo;s Medicare agency<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2504604\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Dozens of influential divisions within the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a>&lsquo;s Centers for Medicare &amp; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/medicaid\/\">Medicaid<\/a> Services are headed by holdovers from the Obama and Biden administrations, a <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>review has found.<\/p>\n<p>Those officials could complicate the Trump administration&rsquo;s stated plans to ramp up a crackdown on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fraud\/\">fraud<\/a> in the Medicare and Medicaid systems.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4474183\/veronica-escobar-close-texas-ice-camp-east-montana\/\">Veronica Escobar leads calls to close Texas ICE detention center after deaths<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4473709\/states-gave-millions-medicaid-dollars-to-scheming-service-providers\/\">States gave at least $380 million in Medicaid dollars to scheming service providers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3835160\/professional-class-cash-democrats\/\">White-collar workers, blue donors: The professional class turns on the cash spigot for Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>A <em>Washington Examiner <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1c__cM98M3D9lI0PzPkL2jUPaCeTNON_BWmaVfcfwBww\/edit?usp=sharing\">review <\/a>of public webpages found that roughly four dozen senior CMS staffers, including many at the director level, were first appointed to leadership positions under Democratic administrations, previously served in political roles for Democrats, or have worked at left-of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/out-of-state-democrats-pay-millions-to-influence-kansas-election-because-abortion-is-on-the-ballot\/\" title=\"Out-Of-State ... Pay Millions To Influence Kansas Election Because Abortion Is On The Ballot\">-center advocacy organizations<\/a>. The true number of such staffers is almost certainly higher, as not all <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >public employees maintain online public accounts<\/a> of their work history.<\/p>\n<p>Trump announced a &ldquo;war on fraud,&rdquo; to be spearheaded by Vice President JD Vance, during his State of the Union address this week. Even before Trump&rsquo;s address, the Trump administration had taken an aggressive posture specifically against fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, releasing a flood of provider-level data intended to empower the public to spot unusual billing patterns and, potentially, fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Still, critics on the Right have said the Trump administration has so far not done enough to root out fraud in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-gavin-newsom-shipped-homeless-people-out-of-san-francisco-with-one-way-tickets\/\" title=\"Flashback: Gavin Newsom Shipped Homeless People Out of San Francisco With \u201cOne-Way Tickets\u201d\">taxpayer-funded programs<\/a> like Medicaid.<\/p>\n<p>Of particular interest to the Trump administration is that several top CMS staffers in key enrollment and oversight roles are holdovers from the administrations of President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden. These staffers include <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.gov\/files\/document\/epro-cms-org-chart.pdf\">both<\/a> the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/samara-lorenz-6b063b4\/\">director<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jayaghildiyal\/\">deputy director<\/a> of CMS&rsquo;s oversight group, as well as the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/danieljefferymiller\/\">director <\/a>and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/patrick-flaherty-7944276\/\">deputy director<\/a> of the agency&rsquo;s Division of Enrollment Policy &amp; Operations, which is responsible for developing policies, procedures, and oversight for its provider enrollment programs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There have been a couple of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthcaredive.com\/news\/kaiser-affiliates-to-pay-556m-to-resolve-medicare-advantage-fraud-allegati\/809716\/\">high-profile settlements<\/a> related to the Medicare Advantage program in which the federal government <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-sdny\/pr\/united-states-reaches-37-million-settlement-fraud-lawsuit-against-cigna-submitting\">alleged <\/a>healthcare affiliates were pressuring doctors to fraudulently inflate the sicknesses of those enrolled in the program so those affiliates could get higher payouts from the federal government,&rdquo; Sarah Lee, Capital Research Center&rsquo;s communications director, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;CMS enrolls people into that program, and despite enrollment numbers that were predicted to fall, Medicare Advantage has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/medicare\/medicare-advantage-enrollment-grew-by-about-1-million-people-mainly-due-to-special-needs-plans\/\">grown <\/a>by about 1 million people as of February, even with the program&rsquo;s recent troubles.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Which is to say, whoever is working at CMS should be serious about getting a handle on the enrollment numbers so that any potential fraud can be investigated,&rdquo; Lee added. &ldquo;Otherwise, it&rsquo;s another slap in the face to the American taxpayer.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Other divisions led by civil servants who attained leadership positions under Democratic presidents or otherwise worked for left-of-center employers include the agency&rsquo;s divisions of performance-based policy, information technology, acquisitions and budget, data analytics, operations management, regulatory affairs, state demonstrations, communications, state-based initiatives, clinical standards, emergency preparedness, consumer support, contract administration, financial management systems, and program integrity.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, CMS employs a number of senior staffers in non-leadership positions with similar work histories across multiple divisions.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>compared personal webpages against CMS&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.gov\/files\/document\/epro-cms-org-chart.pdf\">organizational chart<\/a> to confirm the employment status of agency leadership with links to Democratic administrations and organizations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks highlighting the Trump administration&rsquo;s commitment to lower prices, bigger paychecks, and creating more good-paying jobs in Ohio and across the Midwest, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at Midwest Terminals in Toledo, Ohio. (Jeremy Wadsworth \/The Blade via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Civil servants sticking around between administrations, even when the party in the White House changes, is not historically unusual. Proponents of the civil service often point out the importance of preserving expertise across administrations such that the provision of government services is not hampered by the regular bleeding of institutional knowledge and technical expertise. Further, not every civil servant works on politically sensitive matters.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, Trump issued an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2025\/01\/31\/2025-02095\/restoring-accountability-to-policy-influencing-positions-within-the-federal-workforce\">executive order<\/a> during the first day of his second term seeking greater &ldquo;accountability&rdquo; for civil servants in &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/zuckerberg-foundation-hides-grants-to-leftist-lawfare-sponsor\/\" title=\"Zuckerberg Foundation Hides Grants To Leftist Lawfare Sponsor\">policy-influencing positions<\/a>.&rdquo;&nbsp;The order, which has faced <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.selendygay.com\/news\/general\/2025-02-06-the-government-accountability-project-and-narfe-challenge-executive-order-14171\">legal challenges<\/a>, gave the president authority to fire certain civil servants at will.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In recent years, however, there have been numerous and well-documented cases of career Federal employees resisting and undermining the policies and directives of their executive leadership,&rdquo; the executive order reads.<\/p>\n<p>During the first Trump administration, there was widespread concern among conservatives that bureaucrats were actively hamstringing the president&rsquo;s agenda. Some career government workers <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/09\/05\/opinion\/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html\">admitted <\/a>to doing as much.<\/p>\n<p>Proponents of this strategy often argue that bureaucrats serve as an important check on the president&rsquo;s power, whereas critics characterize their behavior as undermining the will of the electorate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The measures the Trump administration has announced thus far to combat fraud in Medicare and Medicaid could very well be subject to bureaucratic influence. <\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, for instance, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and Vance <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/trump-administration-prioritizes-affordability-announcing-major-crackdown-health-care-fraud\">announced <\/a>that the administration would be deferring $259.5 million of quarterly federal Medicaid funding in Minnesota pending an investigation into fraud claims, implementing a moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain medical equipment suppliers, and initiating a broad regulatory push to assist in fraud prevention.<\/p>\n<p>Regulations pushed in the past by Republicans have included attempts to restrict people or entities from vouching for their eligibility to receive taxpayer funds without any meaningful government effort to verify whether they are telling the truth. Oz has hinted that other states, such as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/state-watch\/5728249-trump-oz-allege-maine-fraud\/\">Maine<\/a>, may also be in the agency&rsquo;s sights.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3379510\/irs-leadership-history-bankrolling-democrats\/\"><strong>IRS LEADERSHIP HAS HISTORY OF BANKROLLING DEMOCRATS, SUPPORTING LEFT-WING MOVEMENTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The situation at CMS could harken back to an earlier period in the second Trump administration, where government workers <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/feb\/26\/altgov-elon-musk-doge-federal-workers\">worked internally<\/a> to derail efforts pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency. The fallout from Trump&rsquo;s early reform efforts underscores that combating alleged waste and fraud can be controversial among bureaucrats.<\/p>\n<p>In some instances, the Trump administration has not been shy to fire top-level career staffers it views as out of step with its priorities. At least <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/09\/05\/internal-revenue-service-niki-wilkinson-holly-paz-donald-trump\/\">two top officials<\/a> were <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/05\/16\/exclusive-irs-ousts-anti-trump-spokeswoman-arrest-record\/\">removed <\/a>from their posts at the IRS in 2025, according to the <em>Daily Caller<\/em>. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lawyersforgoodgovernment.org\/blog\/2026\/2\/18\/more-than-140-federal-employees-sue-trump-administration-over-politically-motivated-mass-firings-disguised-as-reductions-in-force\">Scores <\/a>of employees fired under similar circumstances have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.acludc.org\/press-releases\/former-federal-employees-sue-trump-administration-for-first-amendment-violations-and-discrimination\/\">sued <\/a>the Trump administration, alleging wrongful termination.<\/p>\n<p>CMS did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Obama\/Biden holdovers head CMS divisions under Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2574469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26015712852169.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74761,5045,50402,5894,9040],"class_list":["post-2574468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cms","tag-government","tag-leadership-2","tag-politics","tag-staffers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26015712852169.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574468"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574472,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574468\/revisions\/2574472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}