Statement from Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, on the Senate confirming Xavier Becerra: 

Secretary Becerra has the skills and experience to help America tackle some of the most pressing issues before us: a raging pandemic, inaccessible healthcare, and sky-high prescription drug prices. We’re glad the Senate has finally approved him so he can get to work for the American people.

Xavier Becerra is a champion for patients. During his tenure as a Congressman and in his time as Attorney General of California, he repeatedly took on monopoly power in the insurance and prescription drug industries, insisting on making patients a higher priority than corporate profits. He was a key leader in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which taxed the rich and drug corporations to pay for healthcare for 23 million people. He sued the opioid manufacturers and helped secure settlements for hundreds of thousands of people who have been harmed by addictive painkillers peddled by the drug corporations.

In Becerra, we’ll finally have an HHS Secretary that recognizes how Big Pharma’s price-gouging hurts public health, exploits taxpayers and increases costs for everyone in the healthcare system. The American people cannot afford the shameless profiteering by the industry, particularly as we work toward pandemic recovery. The Biden-Harris Administration has an opportunity to finally end in the pharmaceutical industry’s monopoly control over drug prices so that millions of people can afford the medicines they need to stay healthy and take care of their families. Secretary Becerra’s confirmation is an important step towards making affordable healthcare and prescription drugs a tangible reality.