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Biden to Tap Xavier Becerra as Health and Human Services Secretary

Becerra will be Biden’s second Cabinet nominee of Hispanic descent, according to multiple reports.

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, The New York Times reports. Becerra, 62, represented downtown Los Angeles in Congress for 24 years. As California’s top prosecutor, Becerra has made combating consolidation within the health care industry one of his signature issues, according to the Los Angeles Times. The pick of Becerra is a bit of a surprise; he does not have health care experience and was expected to be in the mix for U.S. attorney general, according to The New York Times. Becerra is Biden’s second Cabinet pick of Hispanic descent, joining Department of Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas.