Xavier Becerra, the man President Biden chose to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, does not want to talk about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the man President-elect Donald J. Trump has chosen to “go wild” in reshaping it. Nor does he have any regrets over the pandemic policies that helped seed the rise of his potential successor.
In a wide-ranging interview last week, Mr. Becerra said Mr. Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandates, for federal employees, health care workers and large employers, were “absolutely” warranted. “Should we require people to wear seatbelts?” he asked.
That argument — that government has a right to intrude on personal liberty when the health of its citizens is at stake — lost out in last year’s elections. As a presidential candidate, Mr. Kennedy campaigned aggressively against vaccine mandates; the Supreme Court blocked the large employers mandate. Mr. Kennedy also sued Mr. Becerra’s department over its efforts to tamp down misinformation on social media. Voters responded enthusiastically when he merged his campaign with Mr. Trump’s.
On Friday, Mr. Becerra made what amounted to his farewell to Washington, announcing that Medicare, the government insurance program, will negotiate lower prices for the blockbuster weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, and more than 20 other prescription medications. On a conference call with reporters, Mr. Becerra called the negotiations “a big deal.”
But in the interview, he acknowledged that voters did not reward Mr. Biden, or Vice President Kamala Harris, for their administration’s health care achievements, including lowering drug prices; expanding the number of Americans who have health insurance; starting a suicide-prevention hotline; and taking steps to protect abortion rights in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
“People put their attention where they need to — their family, their work, getting ahead,” he said, reflecting on the election. “They see the price of eggs. They see the price of gas. They don’t like it.”
