White House move seen as sign of growing power for Senate Dems

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The Hill:

The decision to name a protege of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) as head of the White House legislative affairs office is being taken as a sign that Senate Democrats will have growing power over the political agenda for 2014.

 

The replacement of Miguel Rodriguez with Katie Beirne Fallon came as a shock to some former administration officials, who noted that Fallon was chosen over internal candidates with more experience.

 

“So now we're just turning the keys over the Congress,” one former senior administration official said about Beirne Fallon’s hiring.

The move is all the more remarkable coming after the White House brought back Phil Schiliro, a former director of the White House legislative affairs shop, to advise it on healthcare policy. Schiliro is a former aide to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) who is trusted by congressional Democrats.

The White House shakeup also included bringing in John Podesta, a former chief of staff to Bill Clinton.