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Biden picks Calif. AG to be first Latino health secretary

Xavier Becerra
Posted at 7:26 PM, Dec 06, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-06 19:26:48-05

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response.

If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

It's a $1-trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans.