HITE HOUSE STAFFING APRIL 2021

THE WHITE HOUSE TRANSITION PROJECT 1997-2021 Smoothing the Peaceful Transfer of Democratic Power

Contact: Martha Joynt Kumar, Director https://whitehousetransitionproject.org 202-285-3537 email: [email protected]

THE BIDEN 100 DAYS WHITE HOUSE STAFFING – APRIL 2021

Martha Joynt Kumar, Director, The White House Transition Project

The organization charts shown here provide information on two areas of White House staffing: organizational units and numbers of commissioned officers.

White House Organizational Units: White House Offices No matter which party controls the presidency, the basic organization of White House offices remains the same.

The information and decision making needs are similar from one President to another. All recent presidents have had White House offices devoted to policy, internal decision making and implementation, and a President’s relationships outside of the White House. Here are some of the basic units within each category:

• Policy: Domestic Policy Council, National Economic Council, National Security Council, • Internal Decision Making and Implementation Process: Personnel, White House Counsel, Staff

Secretary, Cabinet Affairs, Management and Administration, Military Office, Oval Office Operations, Scheduling and Advance.

• Presidential Relationships Outside of the White House: Press Office, Communications, Legislative Affairs, Public Liaison and Public Engagement to deal with interest groups, Intergovernmental Affairs, Political Affairs /Political Strategy.

Comparing the organization charts accompanying this summary, in their first year White House offices in recent administrations are remarkably similar in their office structures.

• President Biden’s White House follows a hierarchical structure with clear reporting lines that contrasts with the Trump White House sometimes confused first year model. The Biden model, though, harkens back to the orderly structures of other recent administrations.

• The additional units in the Biden White House structure, such as a group of single-issue councils, are focused on his signature issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of related legislation and executive actions.

• President Biden has carved a different path than his predecessors in terms of his hiring of women for his top White House staff. 62% of his Assistant to the President titled staff are women. In their first years, 27% of President Trump’s Assistants to the President were women and President Obama chose women to fill 36% of his Assistant positions.

The White House Leadership Team: Commissioned Officers As in any hierarchical organization, there is a top level White House staff that is limited in its numbers by law and

budget. Commissioned staff form the highest levels of White House staff in terms of their responsibilities and salaries. Comparing first year organization charts for recent presidents, over the years there is an increase in the number of Assistants to the President as well as more Deputy and Special Assistants. The emphasis on staffing up a White House is a reflection of the enhanced White House role in national policy development and implementation.

• Assistant to the President staff are the highest level staff with top White House salaries and responsibility. Limited to around 25 at a time, Assistants to the President form the principals who are a President’s closest advisers. They are the senior aides who present alternatives to the President.

• Deputy Assistants to the President discuss policy alternatives and make recommendations to the Assistants. Depending on the subject, Cabinet officials often attend. Although there is some variation in numbers depending on salary levels, usually a President has around 25 Deputy Assistants at a time.

https://whitehousetransitionproject.org/

mailto:[email protected]

The Biden 100 On White House Staffing

2

• Special Assistants to the President implement decisions and arrange events. There are typically 70 or more Special Assistants.

The accompanying charts show the locations of high-level staff concentrations. Those concentrations reflect a President’s staff and action priorities.

• In recent years, the Chief of Staff’s office has an increasing number of Assistants to the President reflecting a pattern of viewing policy and communications from a central location as well as by offices tasked with those responsibilities.

• There are offices at an Assistant level during some administrations while the same offices are headed by deputy-level staff in others. During the course of recent administrations, Political Affairs, Public Liaison, Intergovernmental Affairs, Cabinet Affairs, Personnel, Staff Secretary, Scheduling and Advance, Oval Office Operations, and Management and Administration have seen fluctuations in the importance a President and his team place on the offices. When an upcoming election or a flurry of policy initiatives is in order, the offices might rise in importance from the Deputy to the Assistant-level.

• Policy offices have remained steady in being headed throughout a President’s term by an Assistant to the President and, except for Clinton’s first year, so too has the Press Office, the Chief of Staff, White House Counsel, and Legislative Affairs. Those assignments reflect their continuing importance in a President’s decision-making process.

• The National Security Council has experienced an increase in the number of its directorates and offices. Presidents speak of restructuring the NSC and reducing its numbers, but instead the staff and directorates often increase in size.

• The growing importance of the Vice President and First Lady is reflected in the number of commissioned staff and the assignment of Assistant and Deputy levels to those two offices. Both officials are important presidential surrogates.

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO

Begun in 1998, the White House Transition Project provides information to help streamline the process of transition from one administration to the next. A nonpartisan, nonprofit group, the WHTP brings together political science scholars who study the presidency and White House operations to write analytical pieces on relevant topics about presidential transitions, presidential appointments, and crisis management. Since its creation, it has participated in the 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, and now the 2021 transitions. WHTP coordinates with government agencies and other non-profit groups, e.g., the US National Archives. It also consults with foreign governments and organizations interested in governmental transitions, worldwide. See the project at https://whitehousetransitionproject.org

The White House Transition Project produces a number of materials, including: WHITE HOUSE OFFICE ESSAYS: Based on interviews with key personnel who have borne these unique

responsibilities, including former White House Chiefs of Staff; Staff Secretaries; Counsels; Press Secretaries, etc., WHTP produces briefing books for each of the critical White House offices. These briefs compile the best practices suggested by those who have carried out the duties of these office. With the permission of the interviewees, interviews are available on the National Archives website page dedicated to this project:

WHITE HOUSE ORGANIZATION CHARTS. The charts cover administrations from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama and help new White House staff understand what to expect when they arrive and how their offices changed over time or stayed the same.

TRANSITION ESSAYS. These reports cover a number of topics suggested by White House staff, including analyses of the patterns of presidential appointments and the Senate confirmation process, White House and presidential working routine, and the patterns of presidential travel and crisis management. It also maintains ongoing reports on the patterns of interactions with reporters and the press in general as well as White House staffing.

INTERNATIONAL COMPONENT. The WHTP consults with international governments and groups interested in transitions in their governments. In 2017 in conjunction with the Baker Institute, the WHTP hosted a conference with emerging Latin American leaders and in 2018 cosponsored a government transitions conference with the National Democratic Institute held in November 2018 in Montreal, Canada.

Earlier White House Transition Project funding has included grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and The Moody Foundation of Galveston, Texas.

https://whitehousetransitionproject.org/

President

Chief ofStaff

Commun-ications

Media Affairs

Research

Speech-writing

Cabinet Secretary

WHCounsel

Military Office

Mgmt & Admin

WH Personnel

WH Mgmt

Visitors Office

Travel Office

Scheduling and Advance

PressSecretary

PoliticalStrategy & Outreach

LegislativeAffairs

Public Engagement & Intergov’t

Affairs

Digital Strategy

Staff Secretary

Presidential Correspondence

Executive Clerk

Records Mgmt

USPS

Presidential Personnel

Oval Office Operations

Counselor to the President

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled StaffWhite House Office

Joe Biden2021

© White House Transition Project, 2021. Source: Leadership Connect Directory, 2021

33

1

1

13

11

11

310

1 22

1

181

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentAdvisor to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Associate Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Assistant Special Counsel to the President Counselor to the PresidentVacant PositionAccounted for elsewhere

*†

2

12

6

11

111

1

1

13

41

1

1343

President

Vice President

Chief of Staff

Communications

Counsel

Legislative Affairs

National Security

Mgmt & Admin

Policy

Second Gentleman

Residence

Public Engagement

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled StaffVice President, National Economic Council, National Science and

Technology Council, First Lady, & Domestic Policy CouncilJoe Biden

2021

Chief of Staff

National Economic Council

International

Trade and Manufacturing

Policy

National Science &

Technology Council

First Lady

Scheduling & Advance

Social Secretary

Domestic Policy Council

Office of Faith-Based

and Neighbor-

hood Partnerships

Office of Domestic Climate Policy

Historically Black

Colleges & Universities

COVID-19 Response

Team

COVID-19 Equity Task

ForceWhite House Science Team

Women’s Global

Development Prosperity Initiative

Gender Policy

Council

48

1

© White House Transition Project, 2021.

14

1

1

1

11

Source: Leadership Connect Directory, 2021

1

1

1

517

1

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentAdvisor to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Associate Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Assistant Special Counsel to the President Counselor to the PresidentVacant PositionAccounted for among WHO staff (page 1)

*†

2† 2†

2

1

1

1†

12

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled StaffNational Security Council

Joe Biden2021


Middle East, North Africa, & Gulf

Region

Records Access & Information

Security Mgmt

Resilience & Response

Speechwriting & Strategic Initiatives

Strategic Planning Directorate

Legislative AffairsResource

Management

President

1

1

Source: Leadership Connect Directory, 2021

2 1

1 1 11 11

1

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentAdvisor to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Associate Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Assistant Special Counsel to the President Counselor to the PresidentVacant PositionPreviously Counted

*†

31

2

1 1 1

Partnerships & Global Engagement

International Economics &

Competitiveness

1

Russia Democracy & Human Rights

1

National Security Advisor

Africa AsiaBorder &

Transportation Security

Counterterrorism Policy Cybersecurity

Defense Policy,WMD, & Arms

ControlWestern

Hemisphere Affairs Europe & Russia Intelligence

Executive Secretary

Homeland Security Advisor

South & Central Asia Climate & Energy

International Organizations &

AlliancesLegal

President

Chief of Staff

Cabinet Affairs WH Counsel Military

OfficeMgmt & Admin

Photography Office

Telephone Office

Visitors Office

WH Operations

Public Liaison/

Intergov’t Affairs

Intergov't Affairs

Public Liaison


Office of Science &

TechPolitical Affairs

LegislativeAffairs

House

Senate

Digital Office Staff Secretary

Graphics & Calligraphy

Executive Clerk

Records Mgmt

USPS

Presidential Personnel

WH Personnel

Usher’s Office

Office of Trade &

Manufacturing Policy National

Infrastructure Council


Senior Advisor

WH Office of American Innovation

Strategic Development

Group

Commun-ications

Digital Strategy

Press Secretary Media Affairs

Counselor

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled StaffWhite House Office – July 27

Donald Trump2017

33

4

13

6

5*1

1

5*10

1

1

1

1*

14

1

12

15

12

11

1

18

Vacant Commissioned Positions Chief of Staff: 1 AssistantWH Counsel: 1 Deputy Assistant; 1 Deputy CounselManagement & Administration: 1 Deputy Digital Officer: 1 Deputy Assistant Communications: 1 Assistant

1

12

35

2*

11

1

1

1

12

2

12

6†

11

1

11

13

1

13

1*2

12

11

11

11

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentSenior Advisor to the PresidentCounsel to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Associate Counsel to the President Senior Associate Counsel to the PresidentSenior Counsel to the President Counselor to the PresidentSenior Counselor to the President Vacant PositionPosition Counted Previously

*†

Ivanka Trump

Chief Strategist


Senior Advisor for Policy

Strategic Comm Director

1

Chief of Staff

American Technology

Council

National Economic

CouncilFirst Lady Domestic

Policy CouncilWhite House Consultants

for: Cybersecurity, International Negotiations,

Regulatory Reform

President

Office of the Vice President


Counsel

Admin


DomesticPolicy

Communications

Public Engagement

Legislative Affairs

Second Lady

Pres. Advisory Commission on

Election Integrity

Executive Committee for

Presidential Information Technology

1

1

1211

311

1

1

11

11


*†

13

11

1 12


Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled StaffExecutive Committee for Presidential Information Technology,

American Technology Council, National Economic Council, Domestic Policy Council, WH Consultants, WH Office of American Innovation,

& Vice President Donald Trump

2017


Donald Trump 2017



Legal Strategic Planning Directorate

Access Management South Asia Asia

Defense Policy,WMD, & Arms

ControlAfrica Western

HemisphereEurope, Russia, &

Central Asia

Chief of Staff

Homeland SecurityAdvisor

Strategic Initiatives Group

Counterterrorism Policy

Cybersecurity Policy

International Economic Affairs

2 11* 1*

Middle East, North Africa, & Gulf

Region

1

1

1†

1

3† 1

IntelligenceInternational

Organizations & Alliances

1

Legislative Affairs Records Management Resilience Policy Resource

Management

Strategic Communications

1

TransborderSecurity Policy

1

Vacant Commissioned Positions Africa: 1 Special Assistant Western Hemisphere: 1 Special Assistant


*†

2

1

11

President

Staff Secretary

Records Mgmt

Executive Clerk

PresCorresp.

Oval Office

Operations

President

Chief of Staff

Strategic Initiatives

Commun-ications

Commun-ications

Speech-writing

Media Affairs

WHCounsel

Legislative Affairs

House Liaison

Senate Liaison

Health Reform

PressSecretary

Disability Policy

Intergov’tAffairs

PoliticalAffairs

Public Liaison

Appts. & Sched-uling

Mgmt & Admin

MgmtOffice

Photo. Office

Travel Office

Visitor’s Office

WH Personnel

WH Phone Service

OFBNP1 Advance PresPersonnel

Cabinet Affairs

Chief InfoOfficer

Deputy Chief of Staff for

Operations

New Media


Barack Obama2009

2*2*

1*1

1*

11

5

5

1 1

1

2*

1

Source: Federal Yellow Book, Spring 2009

1

VacanciesStrategic Initiatives: 1 Assistant; 2 Deputies; 2 Special AssistantsCommunications – Speechwriting: 1 Special AssistantManagement & Administration: 2 Special Assistants

Management & Administration – WH Personnel: 1 Special AssistantPresidential Personnel: 1 Special AssistantAdvance: 2 Special Assistant

2*

1*


1

11

4

2

41

314

1

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentSenior Advisor to the PresidentCounsel to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Associate Counsel to the President Counselor to the PresidentVacant Position*

1

1 12*

1

1: Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Chief of Staff

Office of the First Lady

Press Secretary


Chief of Staff

Economic Policy

National Security

Intergovnmental & Public Liaison

Domestic Policy

Political Affairs

Legislative Affairs

Communications

Admin

Director

Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization

Office

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Information Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Human Resource Management

Library & Research Service

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled StaffFirst Lady, Vice President, & Office of Admin

Barack Obama2009

2 11

1

© White House Transition Project, 2016. Source: Federal Yellow Book, Spring 2009

11

1

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentSenior Advisor to the PresidentCounsel to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Associate Counsel to the President Counselor to the PresidentVacant Position*

Staff Secretary

Pres. Corresp.

Records Mgm’t.

Exec. Clerk


Senior Advisor

Strategic Initiatives

Political Affairs

Public Liaison

President

Chief of Staff

WH Counsel

Legislative Affairs

Cabinet Affairs

Intergov’t Affairs

Press Secretary Counselor

Comm.

Global comm.

Speech-writing

Media Affairs

Scheduling AdvanceFaith-Based

InitiativesMgm’t. & Admin.

Military Office

WH Mgm’t.

Office of Admin.

Pres. Personnel

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled Staff White House Office

George W. Bush2001

1191

1310

3

1

12*

11

22

11

11

12

111

1 111

1 111

111

13

12

11

1

1Vacancies:Advance- 1 Special Assistant

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Advisor to the PresidentCounsel to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Counsel to the PresidentCounselor to the PresidentVacant Position*

© White House Transition Project, 2016.Source: Bureau of National Affairs, White House Telephone Directory, ‘01

1

11

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled Staff First Lady, Vice President, Domestic Policy Council, National Economic Council

George W. Bush2001

Chief of Staff

Office of First Lady

Director of Comm.

Press Secretary


Office of V.P.

Chief of Staff

Public Affairs

General Counsel

Legislative Affairs

Domestic Policy

National Security

Correspondence

Operations

Advance

Office of Mrs. Cheney

Military Aides

Scheduling


Education Policy

Domestic Policy, Education

Budget

Health

NEC11

1

1

Source: Bureau of National Affairs, White House Telephone Directory, ‘01



1

1

11

127

Near East and North African

Affairs

Nonproliferation, Counter-

proliferation & Homeland Defense

Public AffairsWestern

Hemisphere Affairs


Administration African Affairs Asian Affairs Defense Policy & Arms Control

Democracy, Human Rights & Intl. Operations

European & Eurasian Affairs

Foreign Policy Speechwriting

Intelligence Programs

Chief of Staff

Intl. Health Affairs Legal Office Legislative Affairs Transnational

Threats

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled Staff National Security Council

George W. Bush2001


© White House Transition Project, 2016.Source: Bureau of National Affairs, White House Telephone Directory, ‘01

11

1 1 1 1 3 1

1 1 1 1 1

Staff Secretary

Executive Clerk

Records Mgmt

Corresp-ondence

President

Chief of Staff

Cabinet Affairs

Commun-ications

Research

Media Affairs

Speech-writing

WH Counsel Public Liaison

PoliticalAffairs

Intergov’tAffairs

Legislative Affairs

Pres Personnel


National Service

Enviro.Policy

Mgmt & Admin

Admin

Operations

WH Military

WH Operations

WH Press Office


Bill Clinton1993

11

1

1

1

1

Source: The Capital Source, National Journal, Fall 1993

VacanciesWH Counsel: 1 Deputy Counsel


11

11

1

13

2

1

1

1

31

113

131

1 13

1

22

111

112

1 1

111

1*7

1

1

KeyAssistant to the President Deputy Assistant to the PresidentSpecial Assistant to the PresidentSenior Advisor to the PresidentCounsel to the PresidentAssociate Counsel to the PresidentDeputy Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Counsel to the PresidentSpecial Associate Counsel to the PresidentSenior Associate Counsel to the President Assistant Counsel to the President Counselor to the PresidentVacant Position*

Commissioned Officers and Similarly Titled StaffFirst Lady, Vice President, Domestic Policy

Council, National Economic CouncilBill Clinton

1993


Chief of Staff

Office of the First Lady


Office of Mrs. Gore

Chief of Staff & Admin

Advance

Commun-ications

Corresp-ondence

Domestic Policy

Legal Counsel

Legislative Affairs

National Performance

Review

National Security

Scheduling


National Economic

CouncilNational Drug

ControlScience &

Tech Policy


28

122

1

1

21 1


Russian, Ukrainian, & Eurasian Affairs

National Security Council

African Affairs Asian Affairs Defense Policy & Arms Control European Affairs Global Issues &

Multilateral Affairs Intelligence Programs Inter-American Affairs

Legislative AffairsInternational Trade & Investments

Near East & South Asian Affairs

. Hemisphere Affairs

11

1


Bill Clinton1993


1 1 1 1 1 1

2 1 2 1


1


Documents

HITE HOUSE STAFFING APRIL 2021