{"id":2598390,"date":"2026-05-04T08:43:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/xavier-becerra-is-no-moderate\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T08:46:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:46:25","slug":"xavier-becerra-is-no-moderate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/xavier-becerra-is-no-moderate\/","title":{"rendered":"Xavier Becerra Is No Moderate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fxavier-becerra-is-no-moderate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598390&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article argues that former California officials\u2019 Democratic infighting is giving voters a distorted picture of who Xavier Becerra is and what he stands for. It opens by attributing the sudden collapse of Rep.Eric Swalwell\u2019s campaign to a broader pattern of controversy and chaos among Democratic contenders ahead of California\u2019s primary.<\/p>\n<p>It than claims Becerra has gained support because he aligns more closely with the party\u2019s left wing than some rivals portray him, despite recent criticism that he is a \u201cmoderate,\u201d to buisness-friendly, or insufficiently committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-left-thinks-congress-is-theirs-but-moderates-keep-dealing-them-setbacks\/\" title=\"The ... Thinks Congress Is Theirs, But Moderates Keep Dealing Them Setbacks\">single-payer healthcare<\/a>. The author counters those claims by pointing to Becerra\u2019s long history of supporting socialized medicine, including earlier remarks and actions in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as participation in progressive-health policy debates.<\/p>\n<p>The piece also argues that Becerra has consistently taken left-leaning positions on immigration-related health policy while in federal office, citing decisions that would allow certain undocumented immigrants to access ACA exchange coverage and subsidies, and additional rules affecting DACA recipients-though it notes that at least one such regulation was later blocked by a judge and reversed by subsequent legislative action.<\/p>\n<p>the author suggests that attacking Becerra from the left (rather than on managerial effectiveness) reflects how far California Democrats have moved toward ideological extremity,while also mentioning that Becerra presided over a border-related crisis involving vulnerable children.The conclusion is that Democrats\u2019 attempts to portray him as insufficiently leftist are themselves inconsistent with his record.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The recent implosion and resignation of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., has done more than expose another Democrat\u2019s hypocrisy regarding sexual harassment and assault allegations. Coming less than two months before California\u2019s primary elections, Swalwell\u2019s sudden journey from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-poll-joe-biden-gretchen-whitmer-underwater-with-likely-voters\/\" title=\"Michigan Poll: Joe Biden, Gretchen Whitmer Underwater with Likely Voters\">gubernatorial front-runner<\/a> to ex-candidate jumbled up the field seeking to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-French Laundry.<\/p>\n<p>Amid the chaos among Democrat candidates, former California Attorney General and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra has seen a surge in support. But a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/27\/xavier-becerra-progressive-backlash-00891871\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent article<\/a> featuring attacks on Becerra as a \u201cmoderate\u201d shows the radical nature of California Democrats, where the left hand doesn\u2019t know what the far-left hand is doing.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Single-Payer Supporter<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>To paraphrase Shakespeare, I come not to praise Xavier Becerra, but to defend him as the true leftist he is. It seems more than a little absurd for a former chair of the California Democrat Party\u2019s progressive caucus to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/27\/xavier-becerra-progressive-backlash-00891871\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">call him<\/a> a \u201cgo-along Democrat\u201d and a politician \u201cthat is open for business with corporations.\u201d Politico also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/27\/xavier-becerra-progressive-backlash-00891871\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">notes<\/a> that \u201ca host of influencers on the left, including progressive news sites, have faulted him for not endorsing\u201d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-democrats-fail-to-pass-single-payer-health-care-bill\/\" title=\"California Democrats Fail to Pass Single-payer ... Bill\">single-payer bill<\/a> in the California Legislature, \u201cand argue he didn\u2019t further the cause as HHS secretary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But as I <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/12\/09\/joe-bidens-hhs-nominee-wants-a-compelete-government-takeover-of-health-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> at the time of his nomination to head HHS in late 2020, Becerra has a history of supporting socialized medicine that goes back decades. Note, for instance, his <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ddiamond\/status\/1335788821582147589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">comments supporting single-payer<\/a> during a committee markup of \u201cHillarycare\u201d (i.e., the Clinton health care plan) in 1994:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I do, as I said before, join my colleagues who support the single-payer plan. I do so because I believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and I believe it is a responsibility, not an option. I also believe that our health care system must be prudent and cost-effective, and quite honestly, I\u2019ve seen nothing that does a better job of addressing that concern than the single-payer system.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>For years, while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Becerra <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/111th-congress\/house-bill\/676\/cosponsors?s=2&#038;r=1&#038;hl=hr676\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cosponsored<\/a> single-payer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/111\/bills\/hr676\/BILLS-111hr676ih.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legislation<\/a> authored by then-Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., well before a subsequent version introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., became a litmus test among leftists. During the debate on Obamacare, Becerra even called out then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in front of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for giving up on a \u201crobust\u201d government-run health plan too quickly \u2014 and subsequently got <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2009\/11\/pelosi-thrown-under-the-bus-029650\">called on the carpet<\/a> by Pelosi for it.<\/p>\n<p>Becerra being to the left of Pelosi should tell us all we need to know about his lack of political \u201cmoderation.\u201d But his actions in 2009 were consistent with his positions on health care since the start of his career. If Democrats now want to attack Becerra from the left on the grounds that he didn\u2019t exploit the declining mental faculties of Joe Biden \u2014 who opposed single-payer during the 2020 Democratic primary and subsequently won the nomination \u2014 to advance socialized medicine while serving as Biden\u2019s HHS secretary, that is an interesting choice to make.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Leftist on Immigration<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Likewise, Becerra has taken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/02\/22\/xavier-becerra-immigrant-health-care-470423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leftist positions<\/a> with respect to immigration and health care throughout his career. Unsurprisingly, Becerra, while serving as HHS secretary, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/12\/15\/blue-states-encourage-illegal-immigration-when-they-subsidize-health-care-for-undocumented-migrants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">approved<\/a> moves allowing states to have illegal immigrants purchase Exchange coverage and later <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/26\/biden-invites-more-illegal-immigrants-by-proposing-free-health-care-at-your-expense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">proposed<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/08\/biden-hhs-redefines-lawfully-present-to-give-free-health-care-to-illegal-immigrants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">finalized<\/a> a rule allowing DACA recipients to qualify for taxpayer-funded Exchange subsidies. Thankfully, a federal judge <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/healthcare\/5031527-federal-court-blocks-aca-coverage-for-dreamers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blocked<\/a> the latter regulation, which last year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.juniperresearchgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BBB-Summary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">budget reconciliation bill<\/a> subsequently overturned.<\/p>\n<p>While HHS secretary, Becerra also helped preside over a crisis at the border that not only undermined our national security but also led to the exploitation of thousands of immigrant children. Even The New York Times couldn\u2019t shy away from <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/ozij9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exposing<\/a> how lax standards within HHS led to alien children being exploited and trafficked as child labor by a system that badly let down some of society\u2019s most vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>Trying to attack Becerra as a moderate should strike most reasonable individuals as absurd. It\u2019s symptomatic of a leftist zealotry that former Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., of all people, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/28\/barney-frank-hospice-democrats-00897112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criticized<\/a> as \u201can agenda that goes beyond what\u2019s politically acceptable. \u2026 Until we separate ourselves from that agenda, we don\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If Becerra\u2019s Democrat opponents want to attack him as an incompetent manager, someone who failed to rise to the occasion in the middle of a crisis, by all means, have at it. But the concept that Golden State Demorats can attack Xavier Becerra as an insufficiently committed leftist demonstrates how radical the party has become.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p>      Chris Jacobs is founder and CEO of Juniper Research Group and author of the book &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1645720020\">The Case Against Single Payer<\/a>.&#8221; He is on Twitter: <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/chrisjacobsHC\">@chrisjacobsHC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swalwell\u2019s resignation exposed Democrat hypocrisy and disrupted California\u2019s race before the primaries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2598391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Xavier-Becerra-speaking.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4606,50402,4326,5894,50934],"class_list":["post-2598390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-healthcare","tag-leadership-2","tag-policy","tag-politics","tag-taxation-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Xavier-Becerra-speaking.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598390"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598394,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598390\/revisions\/2598394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}