For the first time in Barack Obama’s presidency, CMS has a Senate-confirmed CMS administrator after Marilyn Tavenner was approved by the Senate on a 91-7 vote on May 15. Tavenner has served as the acting administrator since December 2011.
 
Her predecessor, Donald Berwick MD, was also an acting administrator and left the post because he was unable to be confirmed by the Senate. The last CMS administrator who was actually confirmed by the Senate was Mark McClellan MD, who served in the post under George W. Bush from 2004-2006.