Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra refused to accept responsibility for 85,000 unaccompanied immigrant children with whom his department lost contact .

Becerra, the former Democratic attorney general of California, testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday that the task of following up with unaccompanied minors after they have left the facilities of the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement was not something the agency was required by Congress to do.

"We don’t have jurisdiction over the kids that are in the hands of sponsors," Becerra said.

The New York Times published a report in February that showed the department was unable to follow up with 85,000 children after they had been sent to live with an adult, which, in only 37% of cases, was a parent already in the United States.

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) criticized Becerra for being unable to account for children whom it could not reach, but Becerra said he was not legally responsible for doing so.

"HHS doesn’t have the jurisdiction to try to follow those children, and so when you say they’re unaccounted for, you’re implying that we should be able to account for them," Becerra said.

McClain suggested that Becerra had a double standard for how HHS was quick to tout its success following up with children when they were able to find the child, but in cases when the department could not locate the children, it said that was not a part of its responsibility.

"Then why are you tracking them anyways? If you don’t have any jurisdiction, you shouldn’t be tracking them anyway," McClain said.

"Because we believe it's in the best interest of the child," Becerra said.

"I don’t think you know what you’re saying because you use the laws that are convenient for you," McClain said. "When we really, truly care about the children, we care about it when it’s convenient and when it’s not convenient. And we begin to fix a problem that we know we have as opposed to try to cover our butts."

Becerra suggested lawmakers change policies to mandate HHS to follow up with the children after they have been released.

Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) said she would work with any interested Republican to put forth a bill to do that.

Becerra repeatedly blamed “employers and companies” for illegally employing children and suggested the problem was with them, not HHS or the sponsors.

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The secretary told the panel that the adults accepting the children were “vetted” through a background check, prompting outcry from Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI).

“We have, unfortunately, unscrupulous employers and companies that are willing to take advantage of some of these kids,” Becerra told Walberg.