Written by Amanda Angulo
On Thursday, the Senate voted 50-49 to confirm the new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, who was the former Attorney General of California. By taking this position, Becerra will be overseeing 29 offices and divisions.
Due to the responsibilities of the position, it is very concerning to have someone with no experience in public health taking this position. However, that is not the only issue in regards to the Democratic choice of Becerra.
On the same day he was confirmed, Becerra quietly signed a settlement agreement, in which he admits that his agency’s website has been very poorly designed, to the point that it has prevented gun owners from registering their weapons to comply with the state law. This is something that was not mentioned during the confirmation hearings due to the fact that the agreement was filed the same day. In addition, his office has been going through legal challenges on ammunition background check systems.
To further add on, Becerra sued the federal government in order to reinstate a mandate from the Obamacare Act, which requires insurers to provide coverage for contraceptives and abortion pills. A group of Catholic nuns, the Little Sisters of the Poor, began to fight against the suit, but are now being sued themselves by the state of California at the 9th Circuit of Court Appeals.
“It is only a matter of time before he targets the Little Sisters of the Poor again, strips doctors and religious institutions of conscience rights, and mandates other harmful policies that assault core freedoms cherished by people of faith,” said Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote.
There is also disdain for him among his fellow Democrat officials. Former Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, had initiated a recall effort against Becerra in 2020. The LA Times has also spoken out against him, and described his attempt at silencing a pro-life activist as “a disturbing overreach.”
While Becerra worked as the Attorney General in California, he attempted to prevent someone from using their free speech, has violated 2nd amendment rights for several Californians, and pushed for abortion access by forcing insurers to cover contraceptives.
Now that he will serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, without any prior experience in public health, what will stop him from furthering his corrupt agenda on a nationwide scale?
Photo via the Associated Press
