BRIEF—Biden choice of Health Secretary under fire by GOP

US President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the powerful Department of Health and Human Services appeared Tuesday before the Senate in the first of two hearings, with allies fanning out to defend him as Republicans mobilize to tank his nomination, reported NBC News.

If confirmed, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a former congressman, will have the daunting task of steering administration policy on the coronavirus pandemic and orchestrating Biden's goal to get health care to more Americans. He would also be the first Latino HHS secretary.

Republicans are portraying Mr Becerra as unfit, but Democrats are unfazed, accusing the Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, of playing politics despite the coronavirus pandemic.

But ranking Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina left no doubt that Mr Becerra faces a tough road to win GOP support.

He said: “I'm not sure that you have the necessary experience or skill to do this job at this moment.” In his opening statement, Sen Burr questioned whether Mr Becerra respects the role private companies, and particularly pharmaceutical firms, play in delivering innovation that benefits patients.

The attack on Xavier Becerra is a surprising twist following years of agitation on Capitol Hill and from the Trump administration over high drug prices, Lev Facher writes in STAT+. But it also highlights the credibility that pharmaceutical companies may have earned after developing several COVID-19 vaccines in record time, and the challenge Mr Becerra could face in balancing pricing frustrations with the industry’s central role in pandemic response.