WISCONSIN– In a new video released Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is urging Congress to swiftly confirm President Biden’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

As Secretary, Becerra will face an enormous challenge in containing the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping Americans safe and healthy. Fortunately, his more than two decades in Congress, and his long record as a fierce health care advocate make him the perfect person for the job, as Senator Baldwin explained in a statement released yesterday.

“I support Xavier Becerra’s nomination to be our next HHS secretary because I know he will not only protect your care, including guaranteed protections for people with pre-existing health conditions — he will also work to expand access to quality, affordable health care, and lower costs.”

“Xavier Becerra has the experience, and qualifications to get the job done for the American people. Now the Senate needs to take action and confirm his nomination so President Biden has his team in place to get past COVID-19 and move forward together.”

Despite his qualifications and the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis, some Senate Republicans are delaying the confirmation process. Becerra was nominated on December 7, and has been endorsed by dozens of well-regarded medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, but did not receive his first confirmation hearing until this week. Further delay will only prolong our suffering, as Senator Tammy Baldwin urges in her video.

“We continue to face an ongoing public health and economic crisis, and that is why we need an experienced and tested leader at HHS who is ready to lead our response to this deadly pandemic. This is no time to play politics and now the Senate needs to take swift action to confirm this nomination.”

You can watch Senator Baldwin’s video here, read her statement here, and learn more about Xavier Becerra’s decades-long health care record here.

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