Becerra additionally plans to carry up his father’s passing in January, and be aware that 1000’s of Individuals have now died from Covid-19 remoted from their family members and with out the closure he skilled — a reality driving his motivation for searching for the federal government’s prime well being submit.
On the listening to, Becerra will tout his work in Congress on the Youngsters’s Well being Insurance coverage Program, the Inexpensive Care Act and updates to the Medicare program. He’ll additionally level to his work as lawyer normal of the nation’s most populous state prosecuting Medicare and Medicaid fraud, opioid producers and hospitals and drugmakers who engaged in monopolistic practices.
Republican critics attempting to sink Becerra’s nomination have pointed to his lack of medical experience and tried to link him to California’s hassle pandemic response. Becerra has additionally been a distinguished goal of conservatives for his help of abortion rights and Medicare for All in addition to his file of difficult the Trump administration’s well being insurance policies as lawyer normal.
Seventy-five GOP members of Congress signed a letter Monday urging President Joe Biden to withdraw the nomination, claiming Becerra is “lower than the challenges we face.”
Democrats are gearing as much as push again on these arguments throughout Becerra’s two-part affirmation course of, which additionally features a Wednesday listening to earlier than the Senate Finance Committee.
“We’re anticipating these assaults and plan to deal with them if mandatory,” a HELP committee aide informed POLITICO. “It’s simply not true that he doesn’t have well being care expertise, and we’ll stress that he’s spent over 30 years in public service combating to get households care and keep wholesome.”
Becerra will pledge Tuesday to work with Democrats and Republicans on vaccine distribution and different aspects of the Covid-19 response. He may even promise to work with Congress on shoring up Medicare and Medicaid, decreasing the price of insurance coverage and pharmaceuticals, strengthening Head Begin and different applications for low-income youngsters and defending authorities scientists and profession workforce from political interference, based on the ready testimony.
Solely the Finance Committee will vote on whether or not to advance the nomination.
