Washington, DC – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement on the hearing in Senate Finance today for Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Xavier Becerra:
“Xavier Becerra understands the health care challenges Americans face. He helped pass the Affordable Care Act into law, and then defended it from the relentless Republican onslaught. He’s led the charge for more affordable prescription drugs, upheld women’s reproductive freedoms, and protected access to care in underserved communities. His record of fighting for Americans’ health care is beyond doubt.
“I was happy to speak with Mr. Becerra today about an important issue for Rhode Island. The HHS Secretary can throw the weight of the Department behind Affordable Care Act reforms that promise to reduce costs and improve quality of care across our system. Rhode Island has leading health care innovators using those reforms to break trail for the rest of the health care system; they ought to get full support from the Department.
“Mr. Becerra’s skills and record will serve Americans well in this role. I look forward to supporting his nomination, and to working with him to improve our health care system.”
