Newsom praises Biden picking Becerra to lead HHS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is praising the selection of the state's attorney general, Xavier Becerra to be President-elect Joe Biden's health secretary.

"I am very enthusiastic about the pick," Newsom said he "couldn't be more pleased."

If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1 trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans.

Becerra, a former senior House Democrat, said that in Congress he helped pass the Affordable Care Act and as California's attorney general he has defended it.