I've taken on hospital and drug makers who unfairly jack up prices on patients. I've worked to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for the addiction crisis. "I fought to strengthen and modernize Medicare. "I helped write and pass the Affordable Care Act from the Ways and Means Committee," he said. But Azar, too, is a lawyer, and most modern health secretaries also have not held medical or nursing degrees, though there are a few exceptions.īecerra, who would become the nation's highest-ranking health official if confirmed, brings at least some experience in health care policy and regulation, which he highlighted during his testimony. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, attacked Becerra for not being a doctor, arguing that nominating a lawyer to lead HHS was akin to nominating a doctor to serve as attorney general. Republicans' surprising line of attack runs counter to most Americans' starkly negative view of the pharmaceutical sector, and the fact that before Azar, no health and human services secretary had ever previously worked for a drug company. Ted Cruz (Texas), who does not hold a seat on either committee overseeing Becerra's confirmation, told Fox News that Becerra was an "extreme" nominee, in part because "he's never worked at a pharmaceutical company." Richard Burr (N.C.), the panel's top Republican and a longtime drug industry ally, attacked Becerra's credentials, comparing his track record to Trump health secretary Alex Azar's "extensive career in the pharmaceutical sector" prior to leading the Department of Health and Human Services. But it also highlights the credibility that pharmaceutical companies may have earned after developing several Covid-19 vaccines in record time, and the challenge Becerra could face in balancing pricing frustrations with the industry's central role in pandemic response.ĭuring a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Sen. The attack on Xavier Becerra, California's attorney general, is a surprising twist following years of agitation on Capitol Hill and from the Trump administration over high drug prices. WASHINGTON - Republican senators on Tuesday blasted President Biden's health secretary nominee using an unexpected argument: He's not sympathetic enough to the pharmaceutical industry.
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