Washington, Dec 7(UNI) United States President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced that he is picking California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his health secretary, which if confirmed would make the former congressman the first Latino to run the department as the coronavirus pandemic reaches new levels across the US.
Separately, Biden picked an infectious disease expert, Dr Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Al Jazeera reported.
According to reports, the choice of Becerra surprised many even as Biden faced more pressure to add diversity to his cabinet, after the Congressional Hispanic Caucus complained about the lack of Latinos in his administration.
Becerra, 62, is well known for his stand on the criminal justice system, immigration and tax policy and was long thought to be candidate for attorney general. But as California’s top lawyer, Becerra led the coalition of Democratic states defending the Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare” from President Donald Trump’s latest effort to overturn it – a legal case awaiting a Supreme Court decision next year.
A former senior House Democrat, Becerra was also involved in steering the health law through Congress in 2009 and 2010.
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