Jeff Zients may become Biden’s chief of staff
2023.01.23 09:12
Jeff Zients may become Biden’s chief of staff
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – A person who is familiar with the situation said on Sunday that former COVID policy coordinator Jeff Zients will be the next chief of staff for U.S. President Joe Biden. This will be a refreshing of a key role as Biden prepares for a likely re-election bid and faces an investigation into how he handled classified documents.
Reuters has been informed by sources who are familiar with the situation that Ron Klain, Biden’s current chief of staff, intends to step down in the upcoming weeks. According to the source, he is expected to continue in the position once his successor begins to ease the transition.
According to the source, the appointment could be made public on Monday. There was no immediate response from the White House.
From the beginning of the Biden administration in early 2021 until April of last year, Zients was the White House COVID coordinator. He has spent the majority of his career in business rather than politics. He was praised for overseeing and implementing Vice President Biden’s efforts to get Americans vaccinated, but he was also criticized for not doing enough early on to increase testing capacity.
Zients also worked as an economic adviser for the administration of President Barack Obama, which included Vice President Joe Biden.
Zients’ return to the White House would come at a crucial time for Biden, who is getting ready to run for re-election in 2024 for a second four-year term, which is expected to happen after the State of the Union speech next month.
Additionally, it occurs at the beginning of a special counsel investigation into the president’s handling of classified documents, giving congressional Republicans confidence to promise their own investigations.
The senior political appointee in charge of driving the president’s policy agenda and ensuring that the appropriate staff members are hired holds the chief of staff position, which is regarded as one of the most important positions at the White House.
The long hours can lead to a high rate of burnout. Republican Donald Trump, Biden’s predecessor, had four chiefs of staff in four years.
