Xavier Becerra: Biden makes phony “left” gesture with Health and Human Services cabinet pick President-elect Joe Biden announced last week the nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The department, with a yearly budget of more than $1.4 trillion, is expected to play an outsized role in the opening days of the Biden administration in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before his role as attorney general, Becerra, a Democrat, was in the US House of Representatives for 24 years, representing a Los Angeles-area district. He held leadership positions as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.