Xavier Becerra, a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient and former member of the Subcommittee on Health of the House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee, was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in to serve as the 25th secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
HHS said Friday that Becerra, who has been serving as the attorney general of California since 2017, will now lead the department's efforts to ensure the health security of Americans and to provide them with health care access.
The Senate voted 50 to 49 in favor of Becerra's confirmation as HHS secretary. His nomination to the post was announced by President Biden in Dec. 2020.
Becerra said he aims "to make sure that during this time of COVID pandemic, we all have the vaccine that we need; that we'll have the information to keep our families safe; that we get that care timely, when we need it."
His government career includes serving as a member of the House for 12 terms and leading California's Department of Justice.
