Top Biden Legislative Aide Is Leaving The White House

A top White House staffer in the office central to moving the president’s legislative priorities will depart his job at the end of the week.

Alex Haskell, chief of staff for the Office of Legislative Affairs, is stepping down from the job he has held for nearly two years. He is among the longest tenured chiefs of staff of the 21 working in the building.

His long-planned exit comes as the White House is largely resetting its priorities away from legislation and more to the campaign as the general election gets underway.

Haskell helped former director of legislative affairs Louisa Terrell and current director Shuwanza Goff lead the White House’s work on the Hill. During his tenure, Congress passed and the president signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS & Science Act, the PACT Act and several government funding bills, among others.

Goff said she “relied on his advice and knowledge every single day.” Terrell said he was the “proverbial nerve center” of the office who was critical in finding “innovative” ways to get Biden’s agenda through a closely divided Congress.

“When one option seemed doomed,” Terrell said, “Alex was there with two other ways to get the job done.”

Haskell joined the administration in its first days as a senior deputy associate counsel on the vetting team, where he was in charge of investigating candidates for Senate-confirmed roles. He also participated in vetting Supreme Court nominees to fill the post that ultimately went to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Haskell plans to move to New York, where his husband lives. He intends to help with the campaign. The new chief of staff at OLA will be Garrett Lamm, who is currently the White House director of correspondence.