[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1537-S1538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Xavier Becerra

  Mr. President, today, I rise to speak in support of Xavier Becerra's 
nomination to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
  Attorney General Becerra will bring a fresh perspective to HHS at a 
critical time during this pandemic. While there is light at the end of 
the tunnel with the distribution of the coronavirus vaccines, there is 
still work to do to end this pandemic and put our country on a road to 
recovery, and that is where Attorney General Becerra's leadership will 
be crucial.

[[Page S1538]]

  Attorney General Becerra's 12 terms in the U.S. House of 
Representatives gave him a solid foundation in knowing how to set 
agendas and achieve results, which we saw deployed in his work as a key 
leader on the Committee on Ways and Means, ranking member of the 
Subcommittee on Social Security, and chair of the House Democratic 
Caucus.
  He helped to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, 
modernize and strengthen Medicare, and helped pass the Affordable Care 
Act. His commitment to the letter and spirit of this law is something 
he carried into his role as California Attorney General, fighting to 
maintain his State's ability to bring millions of previously uninsured 
residents under the ACA's umbrella.
  Last November, he led the defense of the Affordable Care Act in the 
U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 20 States and the District of Columbia. 
His tweet after the oral arguments concisely sums up the national 
importance of his effort: ``The ACA saves lives. It is the law of the 
land.'' He brings a strong commitment to using the law and regulatory 
tools to make access to health care and other vital services 
equitable--the very thing that makes our nation strong.
  I look forward to working with him on ensuring that everyone has 
access to quality and affordable healthcare, and I know he will be a 
partner in the fight against the coronavirus and our goal of getting 
all eligible Americans vaccinated, even in hard-to-reach areas.
  Last week, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan 
Act, which included major funding to address the Nation's worsening 
mental health and addiction crisis. This is a high priority of mine and 
an issue with which Attorney General Becerra has firsthand experience. 
He started his career as a legal aid attorney in Massachusetts, 
supporting clients contending with mental health issues. I am eager to 
work with him on this issue.
  Addressing the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs is another 
area where Attorney General Becerra has shown key leadership. He and I 
share a belief that fairer competition means increased access to 
affordable prescription drugs and better public health. As California 
Attorney General, he investigated and brought enforcement actions 
against drug manufacturers' anticompetitive business practices to help 
reduce drug prices and ensure that people have access to the drugs they 
need. In March 2020, he led a bipartisan group of 46 State attorneys 
general who successfully advocated before the U.S. Supreme Court to 
uphold the rights of States to regulate and address the rising cost of 
prescription drugs.
  The United States must do more to ensure that new technologies have 
appropriate privacy and security protections for health data. At a 
September 2020 hearing on the need for Federal data privacy 
legislation, Attorney General Becerra told me and other members of the 
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that ``every 
consumer should be able to own and control his or her data'' and that 
``if we decide that we don't want anyone to use [our data], it's our 
choosing.'' His testimony was reassuring, and I look forward to working 
with him to ensure consumers can have peace of mind when it comes to 
the security of their personal health data.
  Given the pandemic' s spotlight on the vulnerability of our Nation's 
seniors, I am eager to work with the Biden administration to improve 
the safety and well-being of older Americans. When my 92-year-old dad, 
living in a memory care facility, was diagnosed with COVID-19 last 
year, I was only able to visit him through a window. He recognized me, 
but he just didn't understand why we couldn't be in the same room 
together. Tens of thousands of families have been through these 
wrenching situations over the past year and want to see the Federal 
Government doing more. Attorney General Becerra recently moved to make 
the California Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Control Unit a 
full-fledged division, underscoring his commitment to protecting 
seniors and people with disabilities. I know his leadership will place 
the needs of seniors front and center.
  Attorney General Becerra has the expertise and experience and the 
enforcement and regulatory savvy to handle the job of protecting public 
health, strengthening our hospitals and health care system, making sure 
people have access to quality, affordable health care, and supporting 
our health care workers. And as the first Latino to lead the Department 
of Health and Human Services, he will bring a personal understanding of 
the immediate need for equitable access to care.
  With that, I ask my colleagues to support the nomination: Xavier 
Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
permitted to finish my remarks before we vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.