[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1595-S1596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Xavier Becerra

  Madam President, right now on the floor of the U.S. Senate is a 
reason not to be so happy, and that is why I look forward to very soon 
casting my vote to confirm Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of 
Health and Human Services, one of the most qualified and forward-
thinking minds that will have ever run the Department of Health and 
Human Services.
  But today, Republicans are using this confirmation vote to continue 
their agenda of obstruction, deflecting attention away from the nominee 
who will be the head of the chief Federal Agency responding to the 
coronavirus crisis--all to revive an unnecessary, blatantly political 
debate on reproductive rights. This ridiculous delay tactic only 
highlights how out of step with the American people the Senate 
Republicans are.
  Their anti-choice, anti-woman, and anti-health rhetoric is on full 
display here on the Senate floor, and, sadly, it is not new. They want 
to roll back Roe v. Wade. They want to criminalize abortion care. They 
want the government to control women and their bodies. They want to 
roll back title IX protections for women on university campuses and 
completely gut the title X program to fund critical healthcare 
providers like Planned Parenthood.
  Republicans have put in place an anti-choice majority on the U.S. 
Supreme Court by confirming Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh 
and illegitimately filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat with Amy 
Coney Barrett. If there ever were a reason to abolish the filibuster, 
it is to ensure that we pass legislation to expand the Supreme Court so 
it cannot overturn Roe v. Wade and set us back decades in the fight for 
equal access to healthcare in our country.
  But here today, the Republicans are attempting to disrupt the 
nomination of our Secretary of Health and Human Services with a craven 
political play to their base at the expense of the health of Americans. 
They would rather play politics than confirm President Biden's Cabinet 
nominees. They would rather remain beholden to the far-right's interest 
groups than do the work the American people sent us here to do.
  For the past 4 years, the Trump administration emboldened these 
groups with dangerous rhetoric and far-right policies. But in November, 
how did the American people respond? They voted him out and gave the 
Democrats the Senate majority. Americans entrusted us to serve them, 
not fringe interest groups who want to turn back the clocks on 
healthcare and women's rights. That is why I stand on the floor of the 
U.S. Senate today to say abortion is healthcare.
  We cannot stand for any more disparities, delays, or denials. More 
than ever in this country, we need to stand up and raise our voices 
against the Republican's work to restrict access to reproductive health 
services. We have a fight ahead of us--a fight to protect reproductive 
freedom, a fight to make sure that birth control is affordable and 
available, and a fight for title X to ensure that low-income patients 
receive quality family planning and reproductive health services.
  Voters expect the Biden-Harris administration to take bold steps to 
protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare and freedoms, to 
ensure that every person has the fundamental right to make their own 
healthcare decisions, and they expect it because they want it.
  Public support for Roe v. Wade is at a record high. Seventy-seven 
percent of Americans support that historic Supreme Court decision. That 
goes beyond a simple majority to an overwhelming consensus. A couple of 
years ago, one analysis of polling found that there is not a single 
State in the United States where a majority of voters support ``making 
abortion illegal in all circumstances.'' The American people have moved 
past that debate that Republicans seem committed to resuscitating on 
the floor today. They are on the wrong side of history and the wrong 
side of the American people.
  So as Republicans try to hijack this confirmation vote on Xavier 
Becerra,

[[Page S1596]]

all I can say is, enough. Enough with the era of extreme bodily 
discrimination. Enough with outside entities taking control over what a 
woman can and cannot do with her body. Enough with mounting barriers to 
reproductive services and birth control. Enough with criminalization of 
abortion care. Enough with creating roadblocks for poor women, 
immigrant women, and women of color to get equal access to healthcare. 
Enough with this offensive debate steeped in misogyny, partisanship, 
and tyranny.
  It is time to guarantee quality, affordable healthcare regardless of 
race, status, or gender. It is time to rectify the healthcare and 
reproductive injustices that have cost too many lives for too long. We 
must move away from the antiquated and ideological debate over women's 
bodies and recognize the spaces in which our government can promote 
equity. We can reshape policy to reflect the constitutional rights of 
all people.
  By delaying Xavier Becerra's nomination to be Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, Republicans seem more interested in denying the health 
rights of half of Americans than in protecting the health of all 
Americans.
  Plain and simple, Xavier Becerra is exceedingly qualified to be our 
next Health and Human Services Secretary. He has proven that he 
prioritizes science and facts, believes in each person's right to make 
health and medical decisions about their own bodies, and is dedicated 
to fighting for those most vulnerable in our society. His record and 
support for reproductive freedom reflect the will of the vast majority 
of Americans who support legal access to abortion. He is committed to 
reproductive freedom and understands the importance of ensuring people 
have access to the accurate information they need to make the best 
decisions for their lives and for their families.
  Xavier Becerra knows what is at stake, and I have the utmost 
confidence that he will lead with conviction, with compassion, and with 
care, and is ready to undo the damage that has been done by his 
predecessors.
  As America continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, his 
confirmation is long overdue. I am proud to support Xavier Becerra 
today as Secretary of Health and Human Services. He will be one of the 
greatest Secretaries our country has ever known.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from New Jersey