WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, three sources familiar with the decision said.
Becerra, 62, is a former 12-term member of the House of Representatives and a vigorous defender of the Affordable Care Act who led the defense of the law in the Supreme Court last month.
If confirmed, he would be the first Latino to lead the massive department, as the incoming administration tries to elevate more diverse candidates to frontline positions. Biden offered Becerra the position in a Friday phone call.
The news of the choice was first reported by The New York Times.
In 2016, Becerra was elected in California to run the largest state department of justice in the country, succeeding Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the position after she was elected to the Senate.
His experience in that role, which included working with GOP officials to increase access to new Covid-19 treatments and spearheading legal challenges to opioid manufacturers, all factored into earning him the final nod, according to the individuals who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement planned for Tuesday.
With the pandemic surging nationwide, Biden has sought to assemble a team with significant experience in public health, government and crisis management skills to restore public trust in the federal response.
Last week, Biden picked Dr. Vivek Murthy to return as surgeon general and said the top federal infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, would take on the additional role of chief medical adviser.
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December 07, 2020 at 06:28AM
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Biden will pick California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead Health and Human Services - NBC News
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