If you're asking about the last person to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the answer depends entirely on whether you're looking for the guy who just finished a full term or the one currently making headlines in the 2026 news cycle.
Xavier Becerra was the 25th U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He served under President Joe Biden from March 2021 until the transition in January 2025. Honestly, his exit marked the end of a very specific era of healthcare policy, focused heavily on the Affordable Care Act and drug price negotiations.
But wait. If you mean "who was the last one before the current administration," it's Becerra. If you are looking at the current occupant of the office in this wild 2026 landscape, that’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who took the reins in early 2025.
Let's break down what actually happened during that handoff, because it wasn't exactly a quiet transition.
Why Xavier Becerra Still Matters
Becerra wasn't your typical HHS pick. He was a lawyer and a former Attorney General from California, not a doctor. People complained about that a lot at the start. They said he didn't have the "medical chops" to run the CDC or the FDA.
But he had something else: a black belt in litigation.
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During his time, he basically became the primary defender of the ACA. He fought dozens of lawsuits to keep the healthcare law alive. You've probably heard about the "Medicare drug price negotiations"—that was his big project. For the first time, the government actually started haggling with Big Pharma over the price of ten major drugs like Eliquis and Jardiance.
He left office on January 20, 2025.
Since then, he’s jumped right back into California politics. He’s currently running for Governor of California for the 2026 election, trying to succeed Gavin Newsom. It’s a bold move, but if you've followed his career, the guy never stays out of the spotlight for long.
The 2025 Shakeup: Enter RFK Jr.
When the administration changed in January 2025, the vibe at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building in D.C. shifted overnight.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as the 26th Secretary of HHS in February 2025. It was a tight 52-48 vote in the Senate. If you follow the news, you know it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since then.
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What’s happening at HHS right now?
We are currently in 2026, and the department looks almost nothing like it did under Becerra. Here is the "ground truth" of what the current Secretary has been up to:
- The "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Initiative: This isn't just a slogan. Kennedy has been pushing to gut ultra-processed foods from school lunches. Just last week, in January 2026, he and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins released a massive reset of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Massive Layoffs: This part got messy. In April 2025, HHS announced it was cutting 10,000 full-time positions. There was a huge backlash, especially when nearly a thousand employees got caught in a federal shutdown crossfire later that year.
- Agency Mergers: There is a plan on the table right now to merge several agencies into a new "Administration for a Healthy America." Basically, they want to combine parts of the CDC, NIH, and SAMHSA.
It's a lot.
Some people love the focus on "real food" and getting toxins out of the environment. Others are terrified that the public health infrastructure is being dismantled. Regardless of where you stand, the transition from the "last" secretary (Becerra) to the "current" one (Kennedy) is probably the biggest ideological pivot in the department's history.
Comparing the Two: Becerra vs. Kennedy
It’s kinda fascinating to see how two people can have the exact same job title but totally different priorities.
| Feature | Xavier Becerra (25th Secretary) | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (26th Secretary) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Expanding insurance coverage (ACA) | Chronic disease and food safety (MAHA) |
| Background | Law, California Attorney General | Environmental Law, Activism |
| Big Win | Lowering insulin prices to $35 | New 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines |
| Controversy | Border processing for migrant children | Vaccine skepticism and agency "purges" |
Looking Back at the Lineup
If you're a history buff or just trying to win a trivia night, here is the quick list of who held the seat before Becerra:
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- Alex Azar (2018-2021): He was the guy in charge when COVID-19 first hit. He came from a pharmaceutical background (Eli Lilly).
- Tom Price (2017): His tenure was famously short—only about seven months—before he resigned over a scandal involving private jet travel.
- Sylvia Mathews Burwell (2014-2017): She took over after the disastrous launch of the HealthCare.gov website and basically stabilized the whole thing.
What You Should Watch Next
The story of the "last" HHS secretary isn't just about a name on a plaque. It’s about the massive shift in how the U.S. government views your health. Under Becerra, it was about access to care. Under the current leadership in 2026, it’s increasingly about the source of illness—specifically what we eat and the chemicals in our water.
If you want to stay ahead of how these changes affect your own wallet and wellness, keep an eye on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants. There was a major row just a few days ago where $2 billion in funding was cancelled and then suddenly reinstated after a public outcry.
Policy is moving fast right now. Whether you miss the "old" way or are excited about the "new" one, the Department of Health and Human Services is currently the most volatile—and arguably the most important—seat in the Cabinet.
Check the official HHS.gov newsroom for the latest "Fact Sheets" on the new dietary guidelines. They are fundamentally changing what qualifies as "healthy" for federal programs, and that’s going to hit grocery store shelves by the end of the year.