Jeff Zients to be named White House chief of staff

Ron Klain, President Biden’s current chief of staff, is expected to step down in the coming weeks.

Jeff Zients is expected to be named Joe Biden’s new chief of staff.

President Joe Biden is expected to name Jeff ­Zients, a former Obama administration official who led the White House’s Covid-19 response, to be his next chief of staff, according to people familiar with the decision.

Ron Klain, Mr Biden’s current chief of staff, is expected to step down in the coming weeks after more than two years in the job.

Mr Zients led the White House efforts to increase distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine during the first year of Mr Biden’s presidency, helping to cobble ­together a network to make the shots available nationally.

He left the administration in April, saying he had no specific job plans, and in recent months was tapped by Mr Klain to prepare for staff departures and help identify potential replacements, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr Zients co-chaired Mr Biden’s presidential transition team in 2020.

The President is turning to Mr Zients as his next chief of staff ­because of his reputation as a manager with a history of navigating bureaucracy.

In the coming year, White House officials expect to focus on implementing a slate of laws signed by the President since he took office, including measures to fix the country’s ageing infrastructure, invest in renewable energy and boost semiconductor manufacturing. Options for major legislative breakthroughs will be limited now Republicans have control of the house.

The Wall Street Journal