In op-eds across the country, state leaders, including doctors, elected officials, and health care advocates, urged the Senate to move quickly to confirm Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra has decades of experience protecting and expanding health care access, reducing the cost of prescription drugs, and fighting for health care equity. These state leaders make clear that needlessly delaying this confirmation process will put more lives at risk in the middle of a pandemic that has killed nearly 500,000 Americans. President Biden has already taken bold action to combat the pandemic, but he cannot go it alone, and he needs to have a Senate-confirmed HHS Secretary to work to end the pandemic.
ALASKA
Michelle Turner, Alaskan Environmental Scientist: We Need Health Care Leadership Now. “Key to President Biden’s plan to slow the spread of the virus, and rebuild our economy is his appointment of a competent, experienced, diverse team, led by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Xavier Becerra. Mr. Becerra is the right person for the job; it is essential that he be confirmed and assume his duties as soon as possible.” [Midnight Sun, 2/2/21]
FLORIDA
Dr. Manrique Iriarte, Primary Care Doctor In Miami: To Florida’s Senators — Confirm Xavier Becerra For HHS Secretary To Jump-Start Federal Covid-19 Response. “With more than 400,000 American lives lost to COVID-19, including 24,000 Floridians and millions more out of work, the Joe Biden administration must make up for lost time in tackling the pandemic and rebuilding our nation’s economy. That is why, now more than ever, we need a strong, experienced leader to serve as Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, and Xavier Becerra is the right person for the job. Congress should immediately move to confirm his nomination once it is up for a vote in the Senate — including our two Senators from Florida.” [FloridaPolitics, 1/21/21]
MAINE
Don Berry, President Of The Maine Chapter Of The Alliance For Retired Americans: Becerra Is The Right Person To Head HHS. Senate Should Confirm Him Quickly. “We have waited long enough for real leadership, and with the virus spreading in Maine and across the country, we cannot wait any longer. The pandemic demands a strong and knowledgeable HHS secretary who can marshal the people and resources to not only contain the spread of the virus, but also ensure a smooth and equitable vaccination distribution program that doesn’t leave communities behind. Xavier Becerra is the right person at the right time and he deserves the support of Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate. To delay his appointment is to prolong our suffering and put millions more Americans’ lives in jeopardy.” [Bangor Daily News, 2/10/21]
NORTH CAROLINA
David Miner, Former Republican Member Of The NC General Assembly: Xavier Becerra’s Leadership At HHS Will Jumpstart Federal Covid-19 Response. “Throughout his career, Xavier Becerra has been on the frontlines fighting to expand access to affordable care and protect underserved communities. As a member of Congress, Becerra was an original co-sponsor of the Affordable Care Act, and a staunch defender of Medicare and Medicaid.” [BlueNC, 1/26/21]
OHIO
Franklin Co. Commissioner John Grady: Confirm Becerra For HHS To Defend Health Care. “President Joe Biden has smartly selected Xavier Becerra, the ACA’s defender-in-chief, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. For the past four years, Americans have watched the Trump administration repeatedly and relentlessly attack the ACA — even amidst a national public health emergency. Congress now must confirm a health care champion as Secretary of HHS.” [Columbus Dispatch, 2/3/21]
Doni Miller, CEO Of Neighborhood Health Association: Becerra’s Leadership Will Jumpstart U.S. Coronavirus Response. “In his 24 years in Congress, Mr. Becerra worked across the aisle to get things done, prioritizing the health and safety of his community over partisan differences. As HHS Secretary, Mr. Becerra will ‘hit the reset’ experts are call-ing for to revitalize our country’s vaccine rollout.” [Toledo Blade, 1/29/21]
WISCONSIN
Dr. Joanna Bisgrove And Dr. Jeff Huener, Family Physicians: Wisconsinites Can’t Wait: Confirm The Next Secretary Of Health And Human Services ASAP. “As the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden crafts plans to get the pandemic under control, they will also have to contend with the forthcoming decision in the U.S. Supreme Court to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Given the enormity of these twin challenges facing the U.S. health care system, the nomination of Xavier Becerra, the ACA’s defender-in-chief, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is a superb choice.” [Wisconsin Examiner, 1/19/21]
Jocasta Zamarripa, Milwaukee Alderwoman And First Latina Elected To The Wisconsin Legislature: We Need Andrea Palm and Xavier Becerra in Biden’s Health and Human Services. “Becerra’s nomination demonstrates the seriousness with which President Biden has been working to develop a comprehensive plan to get the virus under control, so that we can rebuild our economy quickly. As a former member of Congress who led the fight to expand health care and who has been fiercely defending in court every American’s ability to access that care, Becerra is uniquely qualified to serve as Health and Human Services Secretary. [UpNorthNews, 2/21/21]