TAUSCHER FORMALLY STEPS DOWN FROM UNDER SECRETARY POST

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher formally stepped down from her post yesterday and will transition to a new job as an advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Tauscher, who oversaw the State Department’s negotiations with Russia on the New START Treaty and was the prime contact on the Administration’s missile defense plans, made the move to give her time to pursue work as an advocate for cancer patients. A longtime member of the House of Representatives before joining the Administration in 2009, Tauscher is in good health after battling esophageal cancer for the last 18 months. She is expected to be replaced by Rose Gottemoeller, the Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance and the Administration’s chief negotiator on the New START Treaty. The Administration has little hope of getting nominees through the Senate confirmation process before the election, and Gottemoeller is expected to serve in the post on an acting basis.