WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement after the Senate voted 78-17 to confirm Sylvia Matthews Burwell as the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services:

Sylvia Burwell will be a fantastic new Secretary of Health and Human Services. She has proven herself as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget during some of our economy’s most challenging times, and she’s the right person to make the Affordable Care Act work for millions more Americans.

Secretary Sebelius leaves behind a legacy of helping to bring universal health care to the most affluent country on earth, and I’m confident that Secretary Burwell will carry on that work to ensure that the Affordable Care Act allows millions of previously uninsured Americans to get covered and continues to bring down costs.