Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, is opposing President Joe Biden's nomination of Xavier Becerra as secretary of Health and Human Services, citing $51,600 in donations from two teachers unions, Fox News reports.
Becerra is currently serving as attorney general of California.
"President Biden’s HHS nominee, Xavier Becerra, accepted more than $50,000 from the California teachers unions. As HHS Secretary, Becerra would weaponize the CDC to keep our schools closed and our children falling further behind. He must be stopped," Cotton said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Cotton posted campaign data in his tweet indicating that Becerra accepted $14,600 in political contributions from the California Teachers Association and Association for Better Citizenship in 2017. He also accepted $14,600 in 2018 from the California Federation of Teachers COPE and another $7,800 in 2019, the tweet showed.
The California Teachers Association, with more than 300,000 members, had pushed for schools to remain closed to in-person learning until teachers can be vaccinated despite recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director that in-person learning is safe if proper protocols are put in place.
Cotton has already sought to block Becerra's appointment on grounds he has no medical background and is not qualified to lead HHS.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.