California AG Xavier Becerra To Be Tapped For Health & Human Services Secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has named California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services for the incoming administration. The inclusion of Becerra, a former congressman, to such a high-level post will likely help to quell some concerns that Biden hadn’t named more Latinos to the Biden cabinet. From the New York Times:

Mr. Becerra became Mr. Biden’s clear choice only over the last few days, according to people familiar with the transition’s deliberations, and was a surprise. He has carved out a profile more on the issues of criminal justice, immigration and tax policy, and he was long thought to be a candidate for attorney general.

But as attorney general in California, he led legal efforts on health care, including seeking to protect the Affordable Care Act from being dismantled by Republican attorneys general. He has also been a leading voice in the Democratic Party for women’s health.

If confirmed, he will immediately face a daunting task in leading the department at a critical moment during a pandemic that has killed more than 281,000 people in the United States — and one that has taken a particularly devastating toll on people of color.

If confirmed, Becerra would be the first Latino to lead the department. He’ll also be the first person ever with a name beginning with the letter X to hold a cabinet position. I like Becerra. I’ve watched him for many years – from his time in Congress to becoming Attorney General of the Golden State. Some reports suggested Becerra might have been in the running to take Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s U.S. Senate seat.