Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Thursday said he will vote to confirm California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) as secretary of Health and Human Services.
Manchin’s support will likely give Democrats the necessary votes for confirmation after the Senate Finance Committee deadlocked on advancing President Biden‘s nominee to lead the public health agency.
It is unclear if any GOP senators will vote for Becerra’s nomination in the full Senate. If they all oppose him, he’ll need the support of every Democratic senator and Vice President Harris to break a tie.
“While Attorney General Xavier Becerra and I have very different records on issues like abortion and the Second Amendment, he has affirmed to me his dedication to working with members on both sides of the aisle to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the numerous needs of our nation in a bipartisan way,” Manchin said in a statement.
“I look forward to working with Attorney General Becerra to expand healthcare for rural communities and address the issues facing our nation,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday invoked a rule to force Becerra’s nomination out of the committee. Under the rule, the Senate will hold a four-hour debate and then a vote on Thursday on whether to bring Becerra’s nomination to the floor, where Democrats will need only a simple majority to move forward.
Republicans have made Becerra, a former longtime member of the House, a lightning rod for criticism, attacking him over what they say is a lack of health care experience, as well as his views on abortion and his support for “Medicare for All.”
Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots group, announced last week that it was spending $500,000 on an ad campaign to try to pressure Manchin, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) to vote against Becerra’s nomination.