WISCONSIN — In a series of op-eds, Wisconsin local government and health care professionals — Dr. Joanna Bisgrove, Dr. Jeff Huebner, and Milwaukee Common Council Member JoCasta Zamarripa — are urging the Senate to swiftly confirm President Biden’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Today, Becerra will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, for his first confirmation hearing.
Our country is in the middle of the worst public health crisis in American history, and once confirmed, Becerra will face an enormous challenge in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, and keeping Americans safe and healthy. Fortunately, Xavier Becerra’s more than two decades in Congress, and his long record as a fierce health care advocate make him the perfect person for the job.
In a piece for the Wisconsin Examiner, Dr. Joanna Bisgrove and Dr. Jeff Huebner wrote:
“More than 5,000 Wisconsinites have died from COVID-19. More than half a million have been infected. And nearly 20 million Americans have lost their jobs — including, in many cases, the employer-sponsored health insurance that went with them. This reality underscores the importance of having Attorney General Becerra in place at HHS without delay.
“There is far too much at stake, and no time to waste. The Senate should work quickly to confirm Xavier Becerra as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services as a good faith first step in working with the Biden administration to get the pandemic under control and improve the health of Americans across the country.”
In a piece for UpNorthNews, Milwaukee Common Council Member JoCasta Zamarripa wrote:
“Becerra’s nomination demonstrates the seriousness with which President Biden has been working to develop a comprehensive plan to get the virus under control, so that we can rebuild our economy quickly. As a former member of Congress who led the fight to expand health care and who has been fiercely defending in court every American’s ability to access that care, Becerra is uniquely qualified to serve as Health and Human Services Secretary.
“I have no doubt that Becerra will immediately begin working as HHS secretary to undo the damage done by the Trump administration and “hit the reset” experts are calling for to revitalize the vaccine rollout. Until then, millions will remain unprotected against the virus, and unable to safely return to work.”
We have waited long enough for real leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services. Millions of people are out of work and struggling to make ends meet while the virus continues to spread in Wisconsin and across the country. We simply cannot wait any longer. We need a strong and knowledgeable HHS secretary committed to expanding access to quality, affordable health care, who will confront the COVID-19 pandemic head-on and fight to keep us safe and healthy. That person is Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
You can read Dr. Joanna Bisgrove and Dr. Jeff Huebners’, op-ed here, and Milwaukee Common Council Member JoCasta Zamarripa op-ed here.
You can learn more about Xavier Becerra’s decades-long health care record here.
