President Trump is promoting legislative affairs aide Katie Bailey to lead the White House office that coordinates with Congress on the Republican agenda.
Ms. Bailey will replace James Braid as director of the Office of Legislative Affairs.
Ms. Bailey worked under Mr. Braid as the office’s deputy director for the Senate and previously held several roles on Capitol Hill.
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Announcing Ms. Bailey’s promotion on social media, Mr. Trump said she “has already delivered strong results, assisting in the confirmations of members of our Cabinet, including Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, and Secretary of Labor, Keith Sonderling.”
Ms. Bailey started working on Capitol Hill in 2003 as a legislative assistant on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, according to her LinkedIn profile. The panel was chaired at the time by Rep. John Boehner, the Ohio Republican who later served as House speaker.
She also worked for former GOP Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mike Braun of Indiana and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during the tenure of Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah.
The only current Republican Ms. Bailey worked for during her congressional career is Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. She served as director of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee when he was chairman.
Mr. Trump said Ms. Bailey understands how the executive and legislative branches can most effectively work together.
“I know Katie will be fantastic, and work tirelessly with Congress to pass Bills that help, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE,” he said on social media.
The president also praised Mr. Braid, the outgoing legislative affairs director, as having “done a fabulous job” and predicted “he will be very successful” as he transitions into a role in the private sector.
Mr. Braid congratulated his successor, calling Ms. Bailey “a consummate pro, an extraordinary hill operator, and one of the best people in Washington.”
“Katie is going to do great things, and I know that the Office of Legislative Affairs will deliver for the President under her leadership,” he said on social media.
Congress is out of session until after the midterm elections, but Ms. Bailey will need to get to work preparing for a busy lame-duck session.
Lawmakers face a Dec. 11 deadline for funding the government and want to pass the annual defense authorization bill, among other year-end priorities. A bipartisan Senate permitting bill that the White House helped negotiate is also on the agenda for when Congress returns to Washington.
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