It’s not just the Vice President who can’t seem to keep anyone working in her office, the Oval Office itself is seeing its own outsized number of staff departures over the past 12 months as well. More so, in fact, than departures of the previous Obama and Trump administrations during the same time period.
Why the continued revolving door within the Biden-Harris administration? Some turnover is normal in high-stress jobs working in the upper tier of the executive branch, but this level of staff exodus seems peculiar.
There clearly is some sense that sticking around too long could hinder the future employment prospects of White House staffers who have decades of political work ahead of them. Biden’s approval rating isn’t getting any better, best to leave now than to be permanently associated with the ongoing failure.
According to an analysis from the Washington Examiner, based on public records from White House staff salary reports, the Biden administration has lost more staff in its first year than either of the prior two administrations:
After one year in office, President Joe Biden’s White House staff shrank at a significantly faster rate than the staffs of his immediate predecessors, an analysis of a staffing report published by the Biden administration confirms.
The White House has been required to publish its full payroll dating back to 1995. In total, 2022’s report lists 474 people employed by the Executive Office of the President as of July 1, 16 of whom are listed as unpaid detailees, fellows, policy staffers, and one staff secretary. The report shows a more than 15% decrease in the total number of White House staff. The 2021 report listed 560 employees, with 41 not taking salaries.
For comparison, the White House saw 4% and 1% staff reduction after Presidents Barack Obama’s and Donald Trump’s first years in office, according to Open the Books. Obama employed 485 and 466 staffers in 2009 and 2010, while Trump employed 377 and 372 in 2017 and 2018.
A 15% decrease in staff compared to 1% for Trump and 4% for Obama is an eye-popping number. The White House hit back at the analysis claiming that the decrease in staff salary shouldn’t be confused with the total number of staff working but that doesn’t explain the whole story, of course.
When questioned about the staff departures, even Democratic strategists weren’t convinced of the White House’s non-answer:
“It’s not altogether unsurprising,” one senior Democratic official told the Washington Examiner. “Looking at all of the difficulties the president is facing, from inflation to the war in Ukraine to members of his own party refusing to advance his legislative agenda, it makes sense that some staffers might seek greener pastures.”
The Biden-Harris administration is a sinking ship unable to tackle any crisis it comes across. The Vice President’s office has seen many high-profile departures and now it appears Biden’s inner circle isn’t immune from staff seeking better options.
The Examiner report comes just as it was announced that First Lady Jill Biden’s press secretary will be leaving his post as well, taking a new job elsewhere in DC.
After the midterms, the departures could increase dramatically if Democrats lose the House and possibly the Senate. There won’t be much left for the White House to do in terms of policy if it’s not willing to engage in negotiation when/if Republicans hold the majority after November.
