Groups Push Senators for Swift Action on Historic Confirmation Amid Pandemic in New Letter Led by People’s Action 

Contact: Johanna Kichton, 240.206.1145, [email protected] 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Over 90 grassroots health care and labor groups today wrote to Senate leadership urging them to immediately confirm Attorney General Xavier Becerra as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Senate Finance Committee will consider Becerra’s nomination next week.

“We strongly urge members of the Finance Committee to vote ‘yes’ on this nomination,” the groups wrote. “The people of the United States need a leader with extensive direct experience improving our nation’s healthcare system, and one who is dedicated to ensuring we all have the health care coverage and services we need and deserve.”

In the letter to Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Wyden, and Ranking Member Crapo, the groups outline Becerra’s achievements that prove his qualifications such as:

• Leading in the construction and passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act;
• Winning major settlements over exorbitant prices and anti-competitive practices against industry giants like Sutter Health; and
• Standing up to big corporations by suing Purdue Pharma and McKinsey & Co. for their roles in creating the national overdose crisis.

The full text of the letter including the full list of organizations who signed on may be found here.

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People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations in 30 states united in fighting for justice. We operate the largest progressive rural organizing project in the country. People’s Action and its member organizations coordinated one of the biggest distributed organizing programs in rural areas this election season.