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WASHINGTON – Today, Accountable Senate War Room reacted to a new report from the Los Angeles Times that highlighted the dangerous games Republican senators are playing to try to obstruct the critically-needed confirmation of Xavier Becerra, President Biden’s pick for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. Amid a global pandemic that has killed more than 465,000 Americans, created one of the worst unemployment crises in our country’s history, and forced millions into poverty, Republicans are signaling their intent to delay and obstruct the confirmation of Xavier Becerra by pulling out one flimsy objection after another to distract from their fear that Becerra will take on special interests, including Big Pharma. Further delaying Becerra’s confirmation will hinder our country’s ability to recover from the pandemic, risking more sickness and death that could have been avoided. 

“Republican senators are grasping at straws to find something wrong with Becerra, but their attacks have fallen short,” said Mairead Lynn, spokesperson for Accountable Senate War Room. “It’s no secret why these Republican senators are working so hard to reject Becerra: they see his track record of taking on special interests, especially Big Pharma, as a direct threat to their donors’ bottom line. As Americans continue to suffer through the pandemic nearly a year later, Republican senators must stop playing games with our nation’s COVID-19 response and ensure that President Biden has a fully confirmed Cabinet who can continue working to tackle the pandemic.” 

Evan Halper with the Los Angeles Times outlined the desperate tactics Republicans are using to try to torpedo Becerra’s confirmation – and why they are wrong. 

GOP senators attempt to call Becerra “too partisan”: 

GOP senators are sending mixed messages: Is Becerra too close to the insurance industry or not close enough?

Citations

[1]https://accountable.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7c5bb74fb25a54fbadea2ec48&id=2e90f64b76&e=b03f215d18[2]https://accountable.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7c5bb74fb25a54fbadea2ec48&id=18b027e2e0&e=b03f215d18[3]https://accountable.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7c5bb74fb25a54fbadea2ec48&id=95951bf285&e=b03f215d18[4]https://accountable.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7c5bb74fb25a54fbadea2ec48&id=0ac5a91910&e=b03f215d18