Jeff Zients, welcome to your onboarding

Presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Jan 31, 2023 View in browser   By Lauren Egan and Eli Stokols Presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice.   Send tips | Subscribe here| Email Eli | Email Lauren Starting a new job is always tricky. But few professional transitions, if any, are as difficult as taking over as White House chief of staff. Stepping into that role is a challenge even for the most capable government officials who have to balance making the position their own without reinventing the wheel or unnecessarily blowing up existing processes, all while keeping the gears of government grinding. While JEFF ZIENTS brings some advantages with him when he starts as President JOE BIDEN’s new chief of staff next week — he already worked in the White House (there won’t be any first-day awkwardness of trying to locate the bathrooms) and he’s a familiar face to Biden’s inner circle of advisers — even his boosters recognize that the learning curve will be steep. “The challenge for a chief of staff transition is that there is no pause button,” said CECILIA MUÑOZ, who led the Domestic Policy Council in the Obama White House and worked under five different chiefs of staff. “Jeff will be faced with the challenge of both continuity — keeping all the plates spinning in the air, and I’m sure there are many, many of them — while also taking advantage of the opportunity to make adjustments.” Handovers between chiefs of staff look different from presidency to presidency. But in conversations with former chiefs from multiple administrations, most said that they relied heavily on their predecessor to get them up to speed. “Even though Jeff has worked in the White House and has had very important jobs, he’s not been sitting in the chief of staff office,” said JACK WATSON, who served as chief of staff to President JIMMY CARTER. “Ron [Klain] will want to the fullest extent that he can brief Jeff on the priorities, the problems.” Zients was already on board and working with RON KLAIN on the handover, according to a White House official who said the priority was getting Zients settled into his new role. Another official confirmed a formal transition event is set for Wednesday, one that will likely look like past ceremonies for departing chiefs: remarks by the president and outgoing chief in the East Room or State Dining Room and, possibly, by the incoming chief as well. Zients, officials point out, already has close working relationships with key decision makers in the West Wing, allowing for a smoother transition into the role. But those close relationships with senior advisers don’t always translate into loyalty among the rest of the staff, which is needed to have a successful and smooth operation, former chiefs say. And it can be hard to follow a personality like Klain — outspoken on social media and beloved by some staffers who have proudly dubbed themselves “Klain-iacs,” even if others are ready for a more hands-off approach. Former chiefs said it was critical for Zients to bring in a few trusted staffers to help navigate the new job without shaking up too much personnel. “The bigger transition is trying to make sure that you’re able to grab hold of the reins of that job and develop a relationship with the staff in which you have their loyalty and their support. That’s something that doesn’t just happen. That really is something that a new chief of staff has to work hard to get,” said LEON PANETTA, the former chief of staff to BILL CLINTON. “I brought some of my key staff with me essentially to watch my back and be able to make sure they were my eyes and ears,” he added. “Whoever becomes the new chief of staff usually wants to at least bring in some people that are close to that individual so that he knows that he doesn't have to worry about where their loyalty is.” The White House has not made any official announcements about who, if anyone, will join Zients in the office of the chief of staff, but NATALIE QUILLIAN, who was his deputy on the White House Covid team, is viewed as a likely contender. Another former chief of staff, who asked not to be named because they’re in close contact with the Biden White House, said that one of the most important things for a new chief is to create a good sense of morale to make sure “the place functions efficiently.” But unlike Klain, Zients is likely to have fewer of those morale-boosting moments built into his tenure, as the chances of passing sweeping pieces of legislation like the infrastructure law are slim and as the Republican-controlled House ramps up investigations into the Biden administration. Klain, whose final day on the job will be a week from Wednesday, was not universally beloved in the building. But he did endear himself to staff by being responsive via email and by hosting small groups of staffers for after-hours get-togethers in his office. The other option, Panetta said, would be hosting daily mandatory in-person meetings at 6:30 a.m. to build a sense of team. We’re sure White House staffers would be thrilled! MESSAGE US —Are you NATALIE QUILLIAN? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!  A message from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living: Nursing homes are doing everything they can to recruit caregivers, but can't find workers. The labor crisis in long term care is affecting all aspects of health care, creating bottlenecks in hospitals as patients wait for beds in nursing homes. A federal staffing mandate without resources to help with recruitment would force nursing homes to limit the number of residents they can serve. Learn more about the solutions to the labor crisis.   POTUS PUZZLER This one is from Allie. Which first lady won an Emmy and for what program? (Answer at the bottom.) The Oval HE’S NOT COMING FOR MILK AND COOKIES: The White House had initially played coy about Wednesday’s meeting between Biden and House Speaker KEVIN MCCARTHY, downplaying the main issue at hand — raising the debt ceiling — and suggesting they’d be chatting about a range of issues. No more. National Economic Council Chair BRIAN DEESE and Office of Management and Budget Director SHALANDA YOUNG penned an expectations setting memo, mostly, it seemed, for the media Tuesday. In it, they made clear that Biden plans to ask the speaker to commit to the position that defaulting on the nation’s debt is unacceptable. And he’ll ask House Republicans to release a budget that will match their “cut spending” rhetoric. (Biden, the memo revealed, plans to release his budget proposal on March 9.) “House Republicans have already voted on, supported, or proposed numerous ideas that would increase the deficit by trillions of dollars over the next decade,” the memo states. To make their point, they made a chart: McCarthy responded in a tweet, opting not to engage. “Mr. President: I received your staff’s memo,” he wrote. “I’m not interested in political games. I’m coming to negotiate for the American people.” So it’s going great. THE MAN LOVES HIS CHOO-CHOOS: The president traveled Tuesday to New York City to announce a nearly $300 million grant for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. It’s Biden's second stop on his infrastructure tour, coming a day after visiting Baltimore to tout more than $6 billion in rail tunnel upgrades, our SALLY GOLDENBERG, ANNA GRONEWOLD and ELEONORA FRANCICA report. (Our DANIELLE MUOIO DUNN has the details of Biden’s New York visit here.) WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This MARGARET SULLIVAN column in The Guardian that argues, “The media is blowing Biden’s documents ‘scandal’ out of proportion.” Sullivan writes, “deprived of Trump-style excitement by a mostly competent, sometimes boring president, the news media has greeted the supposed scandal of Biden’s mishandling of classified documents with breathless glee.” IAN SAMS, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, tweeted out the piece Tuesday morning. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This rundown by our DANIEL PAYNE about what will change when the White House ends the Covid-19 public health emergency: “Many will have to pay for Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments. People without health insurance will have to pay out of pocket, while those with private plans could see more costs depending on the terms of their insurance. Insurers typically cover the costs of preventive care, such as vaccines, but often charge deductibles or require cost-sharing for drugs.” SOMBER DUTY: Vice President KAMALA HARRIS is set to attend Wednesday’s funeral of TYRE NICHOLS in Memphis, Tenn. TheGrio’s APRIL RYAN reports that Harris accepted an invitation from Nichols’ parents after calling them to extend her condolences. DOUG, YOU’RE MAKING FELLOW HUSBANDS LOOK BAD!: During his trip abroad, second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF stopped by Rausch Schokoladenhaus, a chocolate shop in Berlin, and bought a chocolate heart for Harris, according to a pool report. ART SALES NOT CUTTING IT: Behind the scenes, allies of HUNTER BIDEN are looking into “a legal-defense fund to pay for a growing team of attorneys that is helping him confront both a years-long federal tax investigation and a host of new congressional inquiries,” WaPo’s MATT VISER, MICHAEL SCHERER and CAROL D. LEONNIG report.   JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE.     Agenda Setting ITS URGENT: A coalition of 117 gun safety groups urged the White House in a letter to take a series of actions to address gun violence, including appointing a gun czar and declaring a national emergency over the issue, our MYAH WARD reports. Many of the same groups asked Biden to make gun control more of a priority during the early days of his presidency, following big promises he made during his 2020 presidential campaign. The president “has a real obligation to live up to his promises and live up to his word and do everything and anything he can to make progress,” said IGOR VOLSKY, executive director of Guns Down America, one of the letter’s co-signers.   A message from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living:   What We're Reading E.P.A. Blocks Long-Disputed Mine Project in Alaska (NYT’s Henry Fountain) Ukraine Calls for Western Warplanes Despite U.S. Refusal (WSJ’s Thomas Grove) Biden Administration Considers Cutting Off Huawei From U.S. Suppliers (WSJ’s Ian Talley and Sabrina Siddiqui)   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER First lady JACQUELINE KENNEDY won an Emmy “for her television tour of the White House that aired on CBS in February of 1962,” according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. A CALL OUT — Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein. A message from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living: The long term care community is facing a historic labor crisis, forcing more nursing homes to limit the number of residents they can serve and some facilities may permanently close. Nursing homes are doing everything they can to recruit caregivers, but can’t find workers. A federal staffing mandate without resources to help with recruitment is not the answer. It will only reduce access to care for our nation’s seniors. The labor crisis has already created bottlenecks in hospitals as patients wait for beds in nursing homes. We need an investment in our long term care workforce to build a pipeline of caregivers - not unfunded staffing mandates. A one-size-fits-all approach is not the solution. Help us hire, don’t require.     Follow us on Twitter Eli Stokols @EliStokols Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

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