White House chief of staff Ron Klain has requested the Presidential Personnel Ofice to find jobs within the Biden administration for Democrats who were ousted from their House seats in the midterm cycle, according to reports.
After Democrats lost control of the House to Republicans last week, Klain has asked the PPO “to look at any existing Executive Branch openings that might be appropriate for Members of the House who lost their seat and House staffers impacted, giving those ex-Members and staff losing jobs due to the change of control a priority in the process,” a White House official told Punchbowl News.
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It’s standard practice for the White House to absorb outgoing members of Congress who have lost their reelection bids, with the current administration already featuring a number of former lawmakers. That list includes Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S Trade Rep. Katherine Tai, and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young.
Thanks to a better-than-expected performance in the midterm elections, the list of Democrats looking for employment won’t be that long. However, the number of staffers seeking a job on the Hill might be higher.
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Republicans won a narrow majority in the lower chamber last week, with the most recent projections predicting the GOP will hold a 222-213 advantage in the House for the next two years. Of those, the GOP has flipped a handful of seats, meaning at least nine Democratic incumbents may be seeking employment in the White House come January.
Biden counselor Steve Ricchetti and White House Legislative Affairs Director Louisa Terrell are reportedly leading the hiring effort, according to the outlet.
