Biden's HHS pick suggests he's looking past the pandemic


"There was an element of surprise" when President-elect Joe Biden chose California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Health and Human Services Department, Irwin Redlener, a Columbia University professor and pandemic-response expert, told Stat News, since the nominee has a legal background rather than a medical one. Writes Stat, the selection suggests the president-elect is looking past the coronavirus pandemic, instead tapping someone who will focus on issues like Affordable Care Act protections and high drug prices down the line.
Of course, the coronavirus looms large regardless, so it appears that Becerra's primary role in combating the pandemic will be a managerial one, leaving the medical expertise to career government scientists, who are likely to return to the forefront during the Biden administration, Stat reports. Redlener said he's heard positive things about Becerra's leadership skills, and Marian Moser-Jones, a University of Maryland professor who studies public health and U.S. health care deliver during crises, also expressed confidence in his ability to guide the department during the pandemic.
"We have tunnel vision right now, we're thinking about the pandemic, and he's not really an emergency-preparedness kind of guy," she told Stat. "But just because somebody doesn't have experience running a huge agency doesn't mean they can't do it." Read more at Stat News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
5 dramatically dysfunctional cartoons about the government shutdown
Cartoons Artists take on life without government, foam finger pointing, and more
-
October 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include the Einstein files, defunding the police, and an odd tribute to Jane Goodall
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland