Grace Landrieu, a longtime aide to President Joe Biden, is departing the White House to join his reelection campaign.
Landrieu, the director for economic policy and labor at the National Economic Council, worked during the last presidential campaign to help develop Biden’s Build Back Better proposals on climate and manufacturing. At the White House, she worked on drafting and implementing the $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus bill known as the American Rescue Plan, as well as Biden’s “Day One” slate of executive orders.
“Grace Landrieu has been with the president from day one, playing a critical role in his campaign and in the White House,” senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn said in a statement. “We will miss her as a colleague and as a leader here at the White House but look forward to her continued work on behalf of the president in the future.”
Before joining the NEC, Landrieu worked at the Domestic Policy Council where she helped develop and promote the president’s plan for capping child care costs, and worked on labor issues.
“Through nearly 2 years on the campaign and more than 2 years in the White House, Grace helped Joe Biden get big things done – from the American Rescue Plan to making good on his promise to be the most pro-union president in history,” said Bruce Reed, White House deputy chief of staff, in a statement.
Landrieu, a former 8th grade math teacher and the daughter of Biden infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu, also worked with former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on health care, wage, and workers’ rights issues.
“Grace has poured her exceptional smarts, organizational capabilities, and dedicated work ethic into the President’s agenda to grow the middle class,” Walsh said in a statement.
Biden’s reelection campaign has put an emphasis on earning early backing from labor unions, holding a rally in June with the AFL-CIO and 17 other unions who announced their endorsement. In recent weeks, Biden has urged Detroit automakers to work with the United Auto Workers — who have not yet endorsed his reelection bid — on a new contract ahead of the expiration of their existing agreement.