GOP DOUBTS BECERRA IS FIT FOR POST
Democratic senators say few HHS leaders have been doctors
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra emerged relatively unscathed Tuesday from the first of two hearings this week on his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services as Democrats brushed aside Republican assertions that his experience is insufficient for the post.
Conservative groups see Becerra as one of President Joe Biden’s most vulnerable nominees and have joined many Senate Republicans in opposition, criticizing his support for abortion rights and “Medicare for All.”
But the emphasis Tuesday in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was on whether Biden should have picked a doctor to lead the agency while the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m a physician. What would you, as the attorney, think if I — the physician — were nominated to be the United States attorney general as opposed to Merrick Garland? You would say, ‘Ah, that guy’s not qualified,’” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. “So you can imagine the kind of concerns I have regarding your nomination.”
Democrats dismissed such complaints, stressing that only three of the 12 previous secretaries of the department had medical degrees. Recent secretaries include one doctor who served for a few months, but also a pharmaceutical executive, a
White House budget director and three Republican governors.
“We have had plenty of good business folks and lawyers who have been strong HHS secretaries for both parties,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., adding that he liked Becerra’s mix of legislative and state government experience.
The greater test for Becerra could come when he appears today before the Senate Finance Committee, which includes two of the 11
Republican senators who have demanded Biden withdraw Becerra’s nomination, saying in a letter that his lack of health care experience and his policy positions make him “unfit for any position of public trust, and especially for HHS secretary.”
Only the Senate Finance Committee will vote on the nomination before sending it to the full Senate.
Becerra, who would be the first Latino secretary of the department, pledged Tuesday that the thousands
of doctors and health experts at the agency will continue to play a major role in decision-making at the agency if he is confirmed. Becerra frequently sought to soothe Republicans by assuring senators he would work with them on their issues, including rural pharmacies and the cost of insulin.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced Becerra to the committee as the right choice for the moment because he understands communities
that have been left out of health care access in the past, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The devastation has disproportionately impacted working-class communities and communities of color, very similar to the very neighborhoods that Attorney General Becerra and I grew up in,” Padilla said. “These communities are hurting and dying at alarming rates, and they desperately need someone who knows these communities to their core.”
Becerra, 63, represented Los Angeles for 24 years in the House and was a senior member of the committee that sets health care policy. He was among the small group of lawmakers who helped write the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Fixing disparate access to health care was a signature issue during his time in the House. Abortion rights and child advocacy groups have lined up in support of Becerra, as has the American Medical Association.
When he became California attorney general in 2017, Becerra led the state’s efforts to block Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act and fought with a nonprofit led by Catholic nuns who sought an exemption from a provision in the law requiring employer-sponsored health plans to cover the cost of contraceptives.
Democrats don’t expect Republicans’ attempts to block Becerra to be successful. In a Senate divided 50-50, Democrats could confirm Becerra if the caucus sticks together and Vice President Kamala Harris breaks the tie.
But the National Review reported Monday that moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is undecided on whether to support Becerra, potentially putting his nomination in question.
Several moderate Republicans said Tuesday said they have not made up their minds, with Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah both saying they don’t think the position has to be filled by a doctor.