[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Xavier Becerra

  Now, Mr. President, on one related matter, today, our colleagues on 
the HELP Committee will question Xavier Becerra, President Biden's 
nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services.
  Amid a global pandemic, the President has made a puzzling selection 
for this crucial post: the famously partisan attorney general of 
California. Mr. Becerra has no particular experience or expertise in 
health. His chief passion project in California seemed to be using the 
force of the government to attack Americans' religious liberty and 
freedom of conscience.
  In 2017, the Department he is nominated to lead finally provided a 
religious exemption to a controversial ObamaCare mandate. Mr. Becerra 
led the lawsuit to challenge it. He used his taxpayer-funded office to 
sue Catholic nuns who didn't want government to force them to violate 
their beliefs. This is a pattern with Mr. Becerra. When a California 
law forcing pro-life crisis pregnancy centers to advertise abortion was 
challenged in court, Mr. Becerra defended it to the bitter end.
  His absurd position in favor of government-compelled speech was 
slapped down by the Supreme Court. Over the last 2 years, the HHS 
Office for Civil Rights literally has had to hold California and Mr. 
Becerra in violation of conscience protections that are actually 
written into Federal law. His zealous refusal to respect the citizens' 
legal rights positioned his State to potentially forfeit hundreds of 
millions of dollars in HHS funding. That is how committed they were to 
these violations. And now the fox wants to guard the henhouse?
  We will review Mr. Becerra's testimony today, but I am hard-pressed 
to see any way such a radical and underqualified nominee should fill 
such a critical post at this crucial time.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Padilla). The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered