December 10, 2020

THIS WEEK IN DC - General Lloyd Austin nominated to lead DoD, if confirmed he'll be the first African American to do so; U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis Orders Government to Fully Reinstate DACA Program; Ali Zaidi is shortlisted for the top choice to take a role coordinating the White House climate team; Biden chooses Susan Rice as top domestic policy adviser; Biden lays out COVID plan for first 100 days; DOD unveils their COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.

 In This Issue 

• Feature Story: What to expect under an AG Becerra-led HHS
  
• Analysis of Questions Raised By Biden’s Cabinet Selections
  
• SCOTUS Ruling in Favor of Muslims’ Right to Seek Justice
  
• 35% of Muslims voted for Trump — earlier this week, Robert McCaw of CAIR-National and Assistant Professor in Political Science Youssef Chouhoud joined us to break down the exit poll results
  

 Featured Issue 

CA Attorney General, Xavier Becerra (left) MPAC President, Salam Al Marayati (right)

What to expect under an AG Becerra-led HHS

PREMA RAHMAN ANALYZES THE IMPLICATIONS OF CALIFORNIA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL BECOMING THE HHS SECRETARY

Earlier this week, President-elect Biden nominated California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. If confirmed by the GOP-led Senate, Mr. Becerra will lead the department’s immediate COVID-19 response, including its vaccine distribution efforts. Since his time in the California State Assembly, Mr. Becerra has maintained a reciprocative relationship with MPAC. On the evening of the September 11, following the tragic attacks from earlier that day, he called the MPAC office and offered himself up in the event that we needed support.

Read the full analysis

 This Week at MPAC'S DC Bureau 

MPAC Policy Analyst Adam Beddawi digs into how the interests represented in Biden's cabinet may clash with the Party's progressive faction

This past Wednesday, MPAC's Adam Beddawi moderated a discussion between Robert McCaw (Government Affairs Director, CAIR-National) and Youssef Chouhoud (Assistant Professor, Christopher Newport University) on the surprising amount of support for Trump among Muslims.

On Monday, Prism published an op-ed from MPAC Policy Analyst Adam Beddawi, in which Beddawi untangled the network of public-private partnerships behind last month's MuslimPro story.

 Good to Know 

• In a unanimous ruling, SCOTUS voted in favor of Muslims seeking justice for being wrongfully placed on the government no-fly list. 
• Kingdom of Morocco recognizes apartheid Israel.
• U.S. District Court Judge Pamela Pepper, dismissed Sidney Powell's Voter Fraud case, writing, “Federal judges do not appoint the president in this country."
• On his first day in office, Gascón announced sweeping measures, including the elimination of cash bail, "a ban on prosecutors seeking enhanced prison sentences and showing leniency to many low-level offenders."
• House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn pushes for Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to be USDA Director, which may lead Bernie-ally Nina Turner to replace her in the House of Representatives.

 This Week's Feature 

	By: Prema Rahman, Human Security Manager  December 11, 2020

What to Expect Under an AG Becerra-led HHS

If confirmed by the GOP-led Senate, Mr. Becerra will lead the department’s immediate COVID-19 response, including its vaccine distribution efforts. He also figures to play a key role in the expansion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Mr. Becerra’s appointment is historic; he would be the first Latino to hold the position. At the same time, several health experts and many GOP Senators have raised concerns over his lack of direct public health expertise, though Mr. Becerra’s decorated career in public service is a strong indicator of his ability to lead the HHS.

Prior to becoming Attorney General in 2017, Mr. Becerra served 12 terms in Congress as Los Angeles’ Representative. While in the House, he focused on health care legislation as a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee. He also chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and led the House Democratic Caucus. Mr. Becerra has made increased health care access one of his policy priorities over the course of his career. His support for the ACA was instrumental to the law’s passage. As California AG, he “helped lead legal fights across the nation for access to health care, focusing in particular on dismantling barriers for women struggling to get medical services.”

If the coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that health expertise can only go so far without actual policy acumen.

This is especially true when it comes to leading the nation’s health and human services operation. Despite his experience in health care, current HHS Secretary Alex Azar failed to adequately address the immediate needs of the American people at the beginning of the outbreak. As the head of the COVID-19 task force, he proved unable to produce a rapid response for testing. As noted by the former Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, in his 2019 ODNI report, “the United States will probably have to manage the impact of global human security challenges, such as threats to public health”. Due to his strong policy expertise, Xavier Becerra will be able to develop an effective, comprehensive response to such threats as the Secretary at HHS.

Here’s what we can expect under a Becerra-led HHS: the ACA will be strengthened to ensure more Americans have access to health care. As a Latino with a proven track record of standing up for the Hispanic community, Mr. Becerra can offer more impactful policy solutions to overturn COVID-19’s disproportional health and economic impact on the Latino community. A Becerra-led HHS will fortify the federal response to mass vaccination and pandemic containment.

For the American Muslim community, Mr. Becerra’s nomination offers hope and relief from an administration that scapegoated and demonized Muslims. He has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s Muslim Ban and has supported the American Muslim community at our greatest times of need. Since his time in the California State Assembly, Mr. Becerra has maintained a reciprocative relationship with MPAC. On the evening of the September 11, following the tragic attacks from earlier that day, he called the MPAC office and offered himself up in the event that we needed support. In 2015, we honored Mr. Becerra with our Empowering Voices award for his partnership to combat Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry. We welcome President-elect Biden’s nomination of Xavier Becerra and urge the Senate to confirm his appointment.

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