[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1585-S1586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Xavier Becerra

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I oppose the confirmation of California 
Attorney General Becerra to be the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services.
  Our future HHS Secretary will be at the helm of rebuilding our 
country toward normalcy and preparing to address the weaknesses in our 
healthcare infrastructure, brought to light by the pandemic. It will be 
no small task, and its handling will have an impact on America for 
years to come. It will require a leader at HHS who has the trust of the 
public and the requisite healthcare experience. Unfortunately, those 
two factors are missing from the nomination of Attorney General 
Becerra.
  In recovering from a once-in-a-century public health emergency, 
Americans need to have the confidence that our HHS Secretary 
understands the intricacies of healthcare policy and has an eye to the 
future as we improve upon our prepandemic vulnerabilities, protecting 
future generations from experiencing similar pandemic situations.
  While Attorney General Becerra served on a healthcare-focused 
subcommittee as a U.S. Representative, he has no further experience in 
public health or medicine. He also lacks the executive experience that 
would be useful in running a complex executive branch Department like 
HHS, which is involved in the nationwide vaccine rollout and now the 
regulatory implementation of the recent $1.9 trillion package.
  The American people need to trust that their HHS Secretary will work 
for them, regardless of disagreements over ideology. Like a President, 
Cabinet officials work for the entire country, and broad public trust 
is essential. As Mr. Becerra was serving in his current role in 
California as attorney general, the Trump administration was making 
significant regulatory changes to protect the sanctity of life. 
Attorney General Becerra then spent much of his time attempting to 
overturn or ignore those changes.
  Most recently, Attorney General Becerra actively defended a 
California law requiring abortion coverage in insurance plans offered 
by churches. The Office of Civil Rights at HHS ruled on January 24, 
2020, that the State's abortion mandate violated Federal law, but 
Attorney General Becerra refused to comply.
  Ideological or moral disagreements should not be met with legal 
challenges. Americans need to know that

[[Page S1586]]

their government is working to find a common ground that will protect 
all strongly held personal and religious beliefs, including the belief 
in the sanctity of life.
  Thoughtful healthcare policy matters to Kansans and Americans now 
more than ever. We need a leader at HHS who is eager to serve all of 
the country, even in the face of disagreements--one who has the 
necessary healthcare expertise to be successful in this position and 
will be an asset to our country in this time of rebuilding.
  I oppose this confirmation and urge my colleagues to join me.