Senate Committee Holds Nomination Hearing for Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Director of Federal Affairs for Life and Human Dignity Connor Semelsberger expressed strong concerns regarding Xavier Becerra's nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. During the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) hearing, Becerra's lack of healthcare experience, extensive record of hostility toward religious freedom, and fixation on promoting extreme pro-abortion policies were highlighted. The senators also criticized Becerra's history of singling out private individuals and faith-based organizations for special harassment, aggressively prosecuting them without cause, and miring them in lawsuits.

Key Takeaways:

• Xavier Becerra, President Biden's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has zero healthcare experience, despite leading a department with the largest budget and overseeing twenty-seven different National Institutes and Centers of Health.
• Becerra has a record of hostility toward religious freedom and has promoted extreme pro-abortion policies, including supporting partial birth abortion and using his role as Attorney General of California to join forces with other states to upend laws regulating chemical abortion.
• As Attorney General, Becerra specialized in singling out private individuals and faith-based organizations for special harassment, and has mired them in lawsuits, despite being rebuked by the Supreme Court.
• Senators have criticized Becerra's lack of transparency regarding his past support for partial birth abortion, with him refusing to explain or clarify his stance.
• Connor Semelsberger, Director of Federal Affairs for Life and Human Dignity at Family Research Council, stated that Becerra's abortion record is clear and that he will work to build an appropriate response to the coronavirus pandemic as a smokescreen for his endgame of radically expanding abortion through HHS.
• Becerra's nomination is a disaster for HHS and a menace to every American who cares about protecting human life and freedom, according to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

Statistics:

• 27: the number of different National Institutes and Centers of Health that HHS oversees, as mentioned by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.
• 1: the number of federal agencies that has the largest budget, according to Perkins.
• 1: the number of Supreme Court rebuke of Xavier Becerra's actions as Attorney General of California, as mentioned by Perkins.
• 2: the number of Senate committees holding nomination hearings for Xavier Becerra, as mentioned by the article.

Sources:

• Family Research Council