WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has named former Labor Secretary and Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez as his top adviser and liaison to state and local governments as the White House shifts its focus to implementing of Biden’s infrastructure and climate legislation. .
Perez will lead the office of intergovernmental affairs, replacing Julie Rodriguez, whom Biden tapped to be his re-election campaign manager. The White House noted that he brings experience working at the local, state and federal levels, which prepares him to meet the needs of officials across government. He will also advise Biden on immigration and labor issues, and work on other projects as assigned.
The selection of Perez reflects the administration’s view that successful implementation of the massive infrastructure, technology and climate legislation passed during Biden’s first two years in office, and with it Biden’s own legacy, will rise and fall in the actions of figures at all levels of government.
“Success depends very much on the ability of federal, state and local authorities and business leaders and nonprofit leaders to come together to maximize the moment,” Perez told the AP. “I take pride in always trying to make government work, and the most effective successes are the successes made in collaboration, and I want to make sure that our state and local partners know that they have a very strong partner in the Biden administration. and that’s a big part of what we’re going to do.”
Perez acknowledged that many bills are unlikely to be passed by Congress for the remainder of Biden’s first term, with Republicans in charge of the House and Democrats controlling the Senate and the White House. So now, he said, “it’s all about implementing and making sure people know about these opportunities” in the legislation that has already been signed into law.
“There’s a seemingly limitless amount of opportunity right now,” Perez added. “The next phase of the world we live in is implementation, implementation, implementation. And that’s what the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs is all about.”
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in a statement that “there is no one like Tom when it comes to charting the way forward, bringing people in and getting things done.”
“He has the deep respect and trust of President Biden and Vice President Harris, and we can’t wait to have him as a member of the president’s senior team in the White House,” Zients said.
Perez first met Biden when he worked as an aide to the late Senator Ted Kennedy while the president was the top member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They worked closely together when Perez was later Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration, and Perez described Biden as “my guy when I needed help.”
Biden, in a statement, touted Perez’s decades of government experience.
“His perspective and relationships as a former county councilor, leading civil rights attorney and secretary of labor will be invaluable as we implement our Invest in America agenda and continue to make our government work for people and communities across the country.”
News of Perez’s appointment was first reported by The Washington Post.
