Biden White House Loses Top Adviser at Crucial Moment
As America continues to grapple with all manner of labor issues, it appears President Joe Biden and his beleaguered administration are poised to lose a top labor adviser.
The inopportune timing of this departure was not lost on Reuters, which spoke to an unnamed source to report on this pending departure.
Described as Biden’s “top labor adviser,” Celeste Drake is reportedly leaving.
She is leaving the White House to fill the role of Deputy Director-General of the International Labor Organization.
The international labor group is situated in Geneva, Switzerland.
Drake appears to be taking her talents to the Swiss very soon, as Reuters reported that she is expected to begin her new role on Aug. 14.
For Biden and his team, that means they have less than a week to pick her brain for as much as help as they can get before she leaves.
And to be clear: The Biden administration needs all manner of help when it comes to the ongoing labor woes afflicting the country.
Most people are already aware of the complete standstill that Hollywood has found itself in.
Actors and writers have (very publicly) gone on strike, and there appears to be no end in sight. Hollywood executives appear content to let the writers and actors starve, while writers and actors appear dead-set on digging their heels in.
According to Reuters, auto workers are apparently on the verge of following in the footsteps of writers and actors. The outlet noted that workers at General Motors, Ford Motors and Stellantis (parent company of Chrysler) are all threatening to strike unless fairer contracts are hammered out.
Biden and his crew also narrowly just avoided disaster when a UPS strike was averted with a new labor deal.
In short, labor issues in every corner of America appear to be on the verge of getting worse — and Biden won’t have his top lieutenant to help him.
Now, critics of the Biden administration may find Drake’s departure as a positive.
Many Americans who are fed up with the state of the economy directly blame “Bidenomics” for the current state of the country. And from what Reuters is reporting, Drake played an outsized role in creating parts of “Bidenomics.”
“She was involved deeply on some of the most consequential labor negotiations that we’ve seen from ports to railways and also in crafting policy around how to support workers,” said Brian Deese, former director of the White House’s National Economic Council.
Deese added that Drake helped navigate a “very complicated and consequential time.”
Jeff Zients, Biden’s chief of staff, also lauded Drake’s “sharp policy focus” and “deep relationships” and said “nobody could have served better.”
For Biden, Drake’s departure also comes at an astoundingly poor time.
Not only is America seemingly on the verge of mass strikes, but the 2024 general election is rapidly approaching as well.
If the historically unpopular Biden wants any hope of securing a re-election bid, the state of the economy will play a big role in that.
If Biden can effectively replace Drake and continue to skirt disaster by the skin of his teeth, Americans may very well be in line for another four years of “Bidenomics.”
But if the country is torn asunder by labor issues as election day approaches, that could very well pave the path for a new president to assume command in 2024.
A replacement for Drake has not been announced yet, but is expected soon.
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