Topline
Ron Klain, President Joe Biden’s chief of staff for the past two years, will reportedly step down as the president’s right-hand man, sources told the New York Times on Saturday, marking one of only a few shake-ups in the administration despite tension in Biden’s term over America’s departure from Afghanistan, rising inflation and recent findings of classified documents in Biden’s home and office.
President Joe Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain is reportedly planning to step down.
Key Facts
Klain had reportedly been telling colleagues about his plans to step down since the midterm elections in November, according to senior officials in the Biden Administration who spoke to the Times.
Those officials did not say if a replacement has been named, although they speculated it could be Labor Secretary and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Biden’s senior advisor Anita Dunn, his counselor Steven Ricchetti, domestic policy advisor Susan Rice, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, former White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients or former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who serves as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Officials said Biden’s announcement of a replacement would come after his State of the Union speech on February 7.
Klain tweeted on Friday, the second anniversary of Biden’s inauguration: “Two hard years. So much to be done. But so much progress.”
Key Background
Klain, 61, had served as associate counsel to former President Bill Clinton and was former Vice President Al Gore’s chief of staff. He also worked in Biden’s office during his time as senator and later worked as his chief of staff while he was vice president. His resignation comes eight months after former White House press secretary Jen Psaki stepped down from her position, with Karine Jean-Pierre replacing her. In total, 66 members of Biden’s “A-Team” have turned over as of October, according to the Brookings Institution—narrowly edging out the 65 that left during former President Donald Trump’s four years in office.
Tangent
Klain’s time as Biden’s chief of staff was highlighted by several monumental bills, including the $437 billion Inflation Reduction Act—a condensed version of Biden’s Build Back Better Bill—which Biden signed into law last August after months of political negotiations, as well as the $280 billion CHIPS Act, which he signed in July to boost domestic microchip production. He was also there when Biden signed the massive $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan for Covid-related relief and economic recovery in March 2021, and in November 2021, when Biden signed the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. His legislative victories also included a bill to provide benefits for U.S. veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, funding for climate change, and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Surprising Fact
Roughly 35% of Trump’s “A-Team” turned over during his first year in office, more than any president since at least the Reagan Administration, according to the Brookings Institution. His first chief of staff, former Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus left six months into Trump’s time in the White House, while his successor, John F. Kelly resigned in July, 2019, after nearly a year and a half. His successor, Mick Mulvaney, left after just over a year in March, 2020; leaving his replacement, Mark Meadows in place for the remaining 295 days of Trump’s term. Former President Barack Obama had five chiefs of staff during his eight years in office, while former President George W. Bush had just two, including Andrew Card, who served more than five years—the longest tenured presidential chief of staff since the Eisenhower Administration.
Further Reading
Ron Klain Expected to Step Down as Biden’s White House Chief of Staff (New York Times)
White House chief of staff Ron Klain expected to step down in the weeks after State of the Union (CNN)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/01/21/biden-chief-of-staff-klain-reportedly-plans-to-step-down/