Thompson Will Resign After 2004 Elections

December 10, 2003
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson says he will remain in his post through the 2004 elections but will resign before the new Medicare prescription drug benefit takes effect in 2006.

"I can assure you that I won't be here in January 2006. But I will have everything set up and operating smoothly before I leave," he told The New York Times.

Thompson conceded that implementation of the new Medicare law will likely prove difficult but added that "with a little luck, Medicare officials could comply with the timetable set by Congress."

Thompson recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he will resign as HHS secretary after the 2004 elections to work in the private sector. He made similar comments in a speech at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention.