President-elect Joe Biden is expected to name Xavier Becerra as his secretary of health and human services. Becerra, who Biden still has to officially announce as his pick, would be the first Latino to head the department. As The New York Times reports, the choice was a surprise to observers as the attorney general of California and former Congressman representing Los Angeles was not a frontrunner. However, his work in protecting the Affordable Care Act under the Trump administration brought the 62-year-old into the mix.
The news are Biden’s latest personnel update after the Nov 30 announcement that made the pick of former Fed chair Janet Yellen as secretary of the treasury official.
Democrat Biden is presumed to have won the 2020 presidential elections against incumbent Donald Trump beyond a margin of error. The New York Times expects all states to confirm final results by Dec. 8. This is possible even if recounts and re-recounts requested by the Trump administration might be ongoing at the time of confirmation, like it happened in Georgia on Friday. Lawsuits against the confirmation of final results on the state level are still possible, but several have already failed and none are expected to succeed or make it to the Supreme Court, according to the report. Electors will vote Dec. 14 and Congress is expected to certify Electoral College Votes on Jan 6.
This chart shows cabinet positions and presumed positions in the Biden administration (2021).
