In other news from Capitol Hill, Energy Secretary nominee Samuel Bodman said Wednesday that he would advocate for oil and natural-gas drilling exploration to take place in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. He also called for the jumpstarting of the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, Michael Leavitt, Bush’s choice to take over the Department of Health and Human Services refused on Wednesday to rule out budget cuts for the state-federal health program Medicaid.