President-elect Joe Biden has selected Attorney General of California Xavier Becerra to serve as the secretary of HHS (Health and Human Services). Three people familiar with the decision said the move is part of the Democrat's attempt to make sure that experienced politicians oversee the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Becerra, 62, was being considered for other roles in the president-elect's Cabinet, but he turned out to be a front runner to run HHS last week. The job was offered to him by Biden himself, according to a source familiar with the decision. The New York Times was first to report his selection to the top health post.
Becerra rose to popularity in recent years as he supervised California's series of legal battles against President Donald Trump and his administration. Aside from that, he spearheaded blue states’ defense against a GOP lawsuit that focused on ending Obamacare.
Becerra would be taking the helm at the HHS amid a still raging coronavirus pandemic, which is touted as the most challenging public health crisis in a century. The pandemic has claimed over 280,000 Americans' lives, and about 15 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, NPR reported.
However, the Trump administration has left no stone unturned in a bid to undermine the Affordable Care Act. It is worth noting that Biden will need to take administrative and executive action to strengthen the ACA, and that's where Becerra's experience as the attorney general of California can come in handy.
Becerra, who has a law degree from Stanford, spent about 25 years in the House of Representatives, serving as the chair of the Democratic caucus. Aside from that, he sat on the House Ways and Means subcommittee, where he was assigned the task of overseeing health issues.
While Biden's earlier contenders to be HHS secretary have held top health policy positions in the past, Becerra has not been in such a position before. Former California Governor Jerry Brown selected Becerra to be attorney general back in 2017, after Kamala Harris' election to the Senate, POLITICO reported.
If confirmed, Becerra would be the first Latino to lead the health department. He is also the second high-profile Latino who the president-elect wants to nominate for a cabinet position, along with Alejandro Mayorkas. Biden plans to nominate Mayorkas to lead the Department of Homeland Security.