According to Siegel, Thompson could be asked about a range of issues, such as the economy, the work force and the minimum wage, as well as issues in Health and Human Services' purview. Some questions will probe policy issues, and others, character, Siegel said. The questions give members a better sense of who they are, where they're going and what their priorities are. The staffer, Joe Karpinski, is spokesman for Jim Jeffords, the Vermont senator who is the health panel's top Republican. He, too, expects a range of inquiries, from questions about a federal facility to a global policy concern.
Abortion opponents favor such a ban.
Thompson has Sens. Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold in his camp. Both have asked to make introductory remarks before the hearings. Feingold, in a letter to committee leaders, said he had worked with Thompson for 18 years, beginning when Feingold was a state senator. Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Jan. 9, 2001.