California Attorney General Becerra, ObamaCare defender, to run a Biden's Health and Human Services

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has been nominated by Democrat Joe Biden to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. If confirmed, Becerra would assume the position at a critical moment for the department, as it continues to battle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Becerra, who served 12 terms in Congress prior to becoming California's attorney general, would be the first Latino candidate to run HHS. As attorney general in California, Becerra has fought hard to protect the Affordable Care Act. He recently led a coalition of 20 states, plus Washington, D.C., in an effort to defend the Obama-era health care law from attempts by the Republican Party to strip it of its parts.

"The A.C.A. has been life-changing and now through this pandemic, we can all see the value in having greater access to quality health care at affordable prices," Becerra said this summer.

Joining Becerra will be Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who Biden will reportedly nominate to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walensky is currently the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Vivek Murthy will be asked to serve as surgeon general, a role he previously held during the Obama administration.