US President Joe Biden appoints Jeff Zients as White House chief of workers

US President Joe Biden mentioned that an official transition ceremony to induct Jeff Zients could be held on the White House subsequent week.

Jeff Zients is the brand new White House Chief of Staff (AP/File)

By Press Trust of India: US President Joe Biden on Friday appointed his long-term aide Jeff Zients, a former Obama administration official who ran his huge Covid-19 response operation, as the brand new White House Chief of Staff.

Zients will exchange Ron Klain, who has served within the place for over two years now.

Biden mentioned that an official transition ceremony could be held on the White House subsequent week.

The transition is the primary main personnel change for an administration that has had minimal turnover at its highest ranks and all through the Cabinet.

“I’m confident that Jeff will continue Ron’s example of smart, steady leadership, as we continue to work hard every day for the people we were sent here to serve,” he mentioned.

Zients, 56, might be tasked with shepherding White House operations at Biden’s pivotal two-year mark when the Democratic administration shifts from formidable laws to implementing these insurance policies and keeping off Republican efforts to defang the achievements.

Zients can also be charged with steering the White House at a time when it’s struggling to include the fallout from discoveries of categorised paperwork at Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, and at his former institute in Washington, which has triggered a particular counsel investigation, The Associated Press reported.

Biden mentioned he has identified Klain since he was a third-year regulation scholar.

“He came to work for me on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I knew the moment he started that he was a once-in-a-generation talent with a fierce and brilliant intellect. Just as important, he has a really big heart,” he mentioned.

During the final 36 years, the president mentioned he and Klain have been by way of some actual battles collectively.

“And when you’re in the trenches with somebody for as long as I have been with Klain, you really get to know the person. You see what they’re made of,” he mentioned.

“When I was elected President, I knew that I wanted Klain to lead the White House staff. He was uniquely qualified given his prior public service. He knows how the government works, how politics works, how Congress and the White House works,” Biden mentioned.

The president described Klain as robust, sensible, decided, and protracted as anybody he has ever met.

He assembled probably the most various and probably the most proficient White House group in historical past and leaned on them to unravel not possible challenges, Biden mentioned.

“Working together, we have made incredible progress fighting COVID, reviving our economy, rebuilding our infrastructure, and winning the confirmation of almost 100 federal judges, including the first Black woman on the United States Supreme Court. We have taken big steps to tackle climate change, advance civil rights, and address student debt. We’ve been reasserting America’s place in the world, and maybe most important of all – restoring faith in our democracy,” he mentioned.

“This progress will be the legacy of this White House team, working under Klain’s leadership,” Biden mentioned, including that the true mark of Klain’s success is that he’s beloved by the group he leads right here on the White House.

Biden argued, it is very important fill Klain’s sneakers with somebody who understands what it means to guide a group, and who’s as centered on getting issues finished.

“I’ve seen Jeff Zients tackle some of the toughest issues in government. When I was the Vice President, I first got to know him at the beginning of the Obama-Biden Administration, working closely on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act implementation as Zients was a leader at the Office of Management and Budget,” he mentioned.

“He was later handed the daunting and complicated task of fixing healthcare.gov, which he did successfully, helping get millions of Americans quality, affordable health insurance,” Biden added.

Biden talked about Zient’s contribution in the direction of the American administration.

“He led the National Economic Council, and shares my focus on strengthening our economy to work for everyone. He helped manage our Administration’s transition into office under incredibly trying circumstances. Thanks to Zients, we had a historically diverse team in place on Day 1 ready to go to work. And he led our COVID response, a massive logistical undertaking of historic proportions,” he mentioned.

“When I ran for office, I promised to make government work for the American people. That’s what Zients does. A big task ahead is now implementing the laws we’ve gotten passed efficiently and fairly,” mentioned the US president.

Published On:

Jan 27, 2023