The Senate on Thursday voted to advance the nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for Secretary of Health and Human Services, which Republicans had stalled in the Senate Finance Committee, Fox News reports.
The vote to hold a confirmation passed 51-48 largely along party lines, with Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine as the sole Republican voting with Democrats.
''During our one-on-one meeting, and in three subsequent conversations, Mr. Becerra and I discussed several shared goals that I hope we can accomplish in the Biden administration,'' Collins said in a statement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. ''Although there are issues where I strongly disagree with Mr. Becerra, I believe he merits confirmation as HHS secretary. I look forward to working with the department to achieve bipartisan results on behalf of the American people.''
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced his support just before the vote.
"While Attorney General Xavier Becerra and I have very different records on issues like abortion and the Second Amendment, he has affirmed to me his dedication to working with members on both sides of the aisle to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the numerous needs of our nation in a bipartisan way," Manchin said in a statement, according to Fox News.
The Senate Finance Committee had stalled on whether to advance Becerra earlier this week, deadlocking 14-14 on a vote, with Republicans opposing his nomination over his lack of healthcare experience, support of Medicare for All and abortion, among other issues.
"Being HHS Secretary should not be a learn-on-the-job position," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., to Politico.
"There’s a reason Mr. Becerra could not get one single Republican vote to move out of committee," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. "It’s because he is such a thoroughly partisan actor with so little subject-matter expertise and such a demonstrated history of hostility toward basic values like the freedom of conscience. There is nothing about Mr. Becerra’s record in Congress or in California to suggest he is the best possible person to run the Department of Health and Human Services in the middle of a once-in-a-generation viral pandemic."
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., claimed that Republicans were ''twisting reality'' in regards to Becerra’s record, and said that delaying his nomination was putting the entire U.S. COVID-19 response at risk.
"This country is in the middle of a public health nightmare, and the American people need to have a Senate-confirmed leader running HHS as soon as possible," he said, according to Politico.
Wyden said in a floor speech: ''Becerra proved in his nomination hearing that he is ready to lead HHS, and he knows health policy inside and out. He’s got decades of valuable leadership and policy experience that will help him succeed in this job. ... Bottom line, a country facing a healthcare crisis needs the Health and Human Services secretary confirmed and on the job as soon as possible. There is no justification for delay.''
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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