UnidosUS President and CEO on Nomination of Attorney General Becerra as HHS Secretary: ‘Another Historic Choice’

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Diversity of entire public health team shows President-elect Biden is taking the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color seriously

WASHINGTON, DC—In response to the President-elect Biden’s nomination of Attorney General Xavier Becerra of California as Secretary of Health and Human Services and filling out his public health team, UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía issued the following statement:

“Xavier Becerra has excelled as a member of the U.S. Congress, as California attorney general, and he will bring the same level of knowledge, talent, energy, commitment and compassion to his new role as Secretary of Health and Human Services during the greatest public health crisis in our time,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “Latinos have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic and by naming the first Latino to run HHS, President-elect Biden has made another historic and stellar choice for his cabinet.”

“We also applaud the President-elect’s picks to lead the federal government’s health work. Having diversity of backgrounds and experience in our nation’s highest posts can lead to a government that is more responsive to the needs of the American people. This is especially true when it comes to our nation’s health, as this year we have all seen the importance of having credible and dedicated health leadership at the federal level. Given how much is at stake for the health of our community and country with COVID-19, the future of the Affordable Care Act and issues around equity in health care, we need a team that is ready on day one.”

UnidosUS has long advocated for greater diversity, inclusion and representation within all sectors of American society. And many of our organizations contributed to protecting and advancing the potency and power of the Latino vote throughout this year. As part of that advocacy, UnidosUS, along with sister Latino organizations Hispanic Federation, Mi Familia Vota, MALDEF, NALEO, CHCI, LULAC, Latino Victory Fund, and Voto Latino have launched Proyecto 20%, an initiative to make sure that at least 20 percent of new positions of the approximately 4,000 political and other jobs to be filled by a new president are held by Latinos.