Sen. Blumenthal Issues Statement on Confirmation of Azar to Serve As HHS Secretary

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The office of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after the Senate voted, 55-43, to confirm Alex Azar as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Azar was previously an executive at Eli Lilly and Co., a pharmaceutical company that has come under fire for pharmaceutical pricing manipulation.

"Alex Azar promises to be another loyal foot soldier in the Trump Administration's campaign against women's health and reproductive rights.

"He has consistently demonstrated a broad lack of knowledge about issues vital to women and families - issues that will soon be within his purview and issues that impact millions of Americans.

"At his confirmation hearings, he refused to acknowledge the well-known fact that access to birth control prevents unintended pregnancies. He argued that allowing a woman's employer to deny her coverage for needed health services is an 'American value.' Further, his clear amenability to policies that place ideology over basic fact and the rights of women and families deeply concerns me. More than ever before, under a President making historic attacks on women's health, we need an advocate for the rights of all Americans. Mr. Azar is not that person."