Murray Impressed After Call With President Biden’s HHS Nominee Becerra, Calls for Swift Confirmation

Becerra has fought tobacco companies responsible for rising youth tobacco use, opioid companies connected to the addiction crisis, and drug companies that have blocked cheaper generic competition

Becerra was a key leader in passing the Affordable Care Act in Congress, and has led efforts to defend the law in court against the Trump Administration’s efforts to strike it down

Murray: “With a record like that there can be no doubt he is going to continue to be a champion for patients as Secretary of Health and Human Services.”

Murray: “Given the historic crisis we are facing as a nation and the clear qualifications of this nomine, I’m going to be pushing to make sure Attorney General Becerra receives a swift, fair confirmation process.

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after meeting by phone with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, President-elect Biden’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“It’s clear Attorney General Becerra has the right priorities and the right experience to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is an incredibly knowledgeable candidate who has worked for decades to improve the wellbeing of families across the country—work he has continued throughout this pandemic by fighting to make sure science, public health, and patients are our top priorities.

“The story his record tells alone is clear, compelling, and persuasive. He has fought against tobacco companies, pharmaceutical companies, and polluters, and for the Affordable Care Act, reproductive rights, and the health and wellbeing of migrant children. With a record like that there can be no doubt he is going to continue to be a champion for patients as Secretary of Health and Human Services. After speaking with Attorney General Becerra today, I’m confident he’s well prepared to tackle the immediate crisis of this pandemic and the looming challenges we face in its wake, like how we root out the systemic racism that has made this pandemic so much worse for people of color, or how we ensure everyone is able to get quality, affordable health care. I look forward to working with him and the Biden Administration on these issues and more in the years to come.

“Given the historic crisis we are facing as a nation and the clear qualifications of this nomine, I’m going to be pushing to make sure Attorney General Becerra receives swift confirmation. The American people deserve to know we are doing everything we can to put aside politics and help the incoming Biden-Harris Administration and its COVID-19 response team hit the ground running on day one.”

###