Xavier Becerra appears to have taken a backseat to people like Dr. Fauci and COVID response czar Jeffrey Zients despite outranking them.
continues to rage. In a recent phone call from the Oval Office, Mr. Biden told Health and Human Health Services Secretary Xavier Becerra that he is pleased with the former California congressman's oversight of the sprawling department, and that he looks forward to boosting secretary's profile in the coming weeks, multiple people confirm to CBS News.
Another person familiar with the call insisted that the president reached out to Becerra"willingly" and not in response to recent news reports or under pressure from any particular constituency. In a sign of that planned enhanced profile, Becerra is scheduled to travel on Wednesday to Minnesota alongside First Lady Jill Biden for what the White House calls a"listening session" about how the administration's American Rescue Plan helps pay for expanded child care programs.
But the Biden administration has faced pressure from some of Becerra's former congressional colleagues to ensure he is given a broader portfolio and public profile. During the presidential transition, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote to Mr. Biden's team mentioning Becerra as a possible Cabinet secretary — ideally to lead the Justice Department, given his role as top prosecutor in California.
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