Sylvia Burwell

Sylvia Burwell     (politician, executive, deep state functionary)
Born	1965-06-23 Hinton, West Virginia, U.S.
Nationality	USA
Alma mater	Harvard University, Worcester College (Oxford)
Children	2
Spouse	Stephen Burwell
Member of	Aspen/Strategy Group, Council on Foreign Relations/Members, Independent Task Force on Improving Pandemic Preparedness, Rhodes Scholar/1987, Trilateral Commission, WEF/Young Global Leaders/2005
Interests	• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation • Vince Foster/Death
Party	Democratic
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation executive and US Secretary Health, first Bilderberg meeting in 2018.  President of American University In office June 1, 2017 - Present  United States Secretary of Health and Human Services  In office June 9, 2014 - January 20, 2017 Preceded by Kathleen Sebelius  Director of the Office of Management and Budget  In office April 24, 2013 - June 9, 2014 Preceded by Jeffrey Zients Succeeded by Brian Deese  Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget In office October 21, 1998 - January 20, 2001  White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy In office January 20, 1997 - October 21, 1998

Sylvia Matthews Burwell is a US executive and politician. She has deep ties both to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the US Democratic Party apparatus. She co-chaired the Council on Foreign Relations' "Independent Task Force on Improving Pandemic Preparedness" with Frances Fragos Townsend.

Background

Mathews earned a bachelor's degree in Government and graduated cum laude, from Harvard University in 1987. She then enrolled at the University of Oxford where she became a Rhodes Scholar at Worcester College.

Career

Clinton administration

Mathews began her career in 1990 as an associate at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, known for its policy of infiltrating governments to privatize assets.

She got her political start when working for Bill Clinton's presidential transition team in Little Rock, after he was elected in 1992.

In 1993, she helped Robert Rubin (future US Treasury secretary) set up the newly created National Economic Council in the White House. When Rubin became Secretary of the Treasury in 1995, Mathews became his Chief of Staff.

While Mathews was at NEC, the White House pushed for healthcare reform, where she was among those in the administration who advocated for finding ways, apart from legislation, to cut healthcare costs.

In 1997, Mathews became one of two Deputy Chiefs of Staff in the Clinton-administration, serving alongside John Podesta. She was deputy chief of staff for policy, charged with the task of keeping the White House focused on its agenda amidst the impeachment of Clinton. In 1998, Mathews moved to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where she took the role of deputy director under Jack Lew.

Whitewater investigations

Burwell testified before a Senate Committee during the Whitewater investigations regarding her search of Vince Foster's garbage and the fate of the documents she discovered. She told the committee she had been looking for an indication as to why Foster had committed suicide and denied ordering any documents destroyed.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

In 2001 Burwell relocated to Seattle to work as an executive vice president for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, becoming chief operating officer in 2002.

Wal-Mart

She moved at the end of 2011 to become president of the Wal-Mart Foundation, which claims it "focuses on ending hunger in the U.S." Walmart's Mike Duke praised her political sense: "She understands business and the role that business, government and civil society must play to build a strong economy that provides opportunity and strengthens communities across the country."

Obama administration

Office of Management and Budget

In 2013, Burwell became Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, where, after wrangling with Congress, she as Director was tasked with initiating a federal government shutdown, the first U.S. federal government shutdown in 17 years. Burwell sent a memo advising agencies and executive departments to shut down, including the closing of national parks, visitors' centers, and even the "panda-cam" at the National Zoo. The shutdown lasted 16 days. Once the government reopened, Burwell helped negotiate a two-year budget deal to avoid future shutdowns.

Health and Human Services Secretary

In June 2014, Burwell became Secretary of Health and Human Services. As of 2014, the Secretary of Health and Human Services oversaw the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which included the equivalent of 77,000 full-time employees and the management of several agencies and programs including: Medicare and Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the end of her tenure, Burwell received praise from Democratic and Republican senators, including John McCain.

Ebola epidemic response

With an Ebola epidemic devastating West Africa, Burwell began holding daily meetings on July 28, 2014, as part of the efforts of the United States government, including the Department of HHS, to prevent further spread of the disease. Starting on September 30, other Obama administration officials began giving daily public briefings while Burwell took less of a public role, although she did take part in a number of public meetings.

The Obama administration spent $5.4 billion to fight the spread of Ebola, including $2 billion for the State Department and USAID. The plan included provisions to help U.S. hospitals become better prepared and to support global health initiatives aimed at containing the disease in Africa.

Zika response

In February 2016, in response to the spread of the Zika virus, the Obama administration spent $1.1 billion to fight the spread of the disease. Congress did not initially take action, leaving Burwell to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to reprogram $589 million in funds previously designated as part of the response to Ebola, to fight the spread of the Zika virus.

Of the initial Zika funding, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) received $222 million to lead the domestic fight against the virus with the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority splitting $152 million for the domestic effort.

By the end of September 2016, the United States reported 23,000 cases in the territory of Puerto Rico, 3,000 cases in the states, and 21 babies born in the United States with microcephaly testing positive for Zika.

American University

Less than a week after leaving her position as HHS Secretary, American University announced Burwell would be the university's next president, its school's highest leadership position despite not having earned a masters or doctoral degree. Burwell began her tenure on June 1, 2017, becoming American's 15th president,

Opinions

• COVID-19

Connections

Sylvia Burwell attended her first Bilderberg meeting in 2018.

 

Events Participated in

Event	Start	End	Location(s)	Description
Bilderberg/2018	7 June 2018	10 June 2018	Italy Turin Hotel Torino Lingotto Congress	The 66th Bilderberg Meeting, in Turin, Italy, known for months in advance after an unprecedented leak by the Serbian government.
WEF/Annual Meeting/2004	21 January 2004	25 January 2004	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2068 billionaires, CEOs and their politicians and "civil society" leaders met under the slogan Partnering for Prosperity and Security. "We have the people who matter," said World Economic Forum Co-Chief Executive Officer José María Figueres.
WEF/Annual Meeting/2016	20 January 2016	23 January 2016	World Economic Forum Switzerland	Attended by over 2500 people, both leaders and followers, who were explained how the Fourth Industrial Revolution would changed everything, including being a "revolution of values".

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