HHS Secretary Becerra Found to Have Violated Hatch Act by Federal Watchdog

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act by advocating for the election of Senator Alex Padilla at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute event in September 2021. The Office of Special Counsel found that Becerra had mixed his personal electoral preference with official remarks, which is prohibited under the Hatch Act. Becerra has expressed regret for the "inadvertent violation" and received additional counseling on the Hatch Act from his department's ethics division. The White House has not yet commented on the report.