White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) is a unit of the White House Office, within the Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state, county (or county-equivalent), local, and tribal governments.[1][2] The office focuses on building new and maintaining current relationships with governors, tribal leaders, mayors, state legislators, and county executives.[1][2] The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs works with federal agencies and departments to ensure appropriate coordination between state, local, and tribal governments and the federal government.[1] The Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office for the Biden administration was Julie Chavez Rodriguez[3] until she resigned on May 16, 2023 to become Biden's Campaign Manager for his 2024 reelection bid. Tom Perez became Director on June 12, 2023.

White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Agency overview
Formed1955; 69 years ago (1955)
HeadquartersEisenhower Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C., U.S.
38°53′51.24″N 77°2′20.93″W / 38.8975667°N 77.0391472°W / 38.8975667; -77.0391472
Agency executive
Parent departmentWhite House Office

Origin

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The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs was established in 1955 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he appointed former Arizona Governor John Howard Pyle as Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs. The appointment followed the recommendations of the Kestnbaum Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, which had been established by Congress to study problems in the interactions between federal and state governments.[4]

List of directors

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Name Start End President Ref
John Pyle February 1, 1955 January 31, 1959 Dwight D. Eisenhower [5]
Unknown January 31, 1959 January 20, 1961
January 20, 1961 November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy
November 22, 1963 January 20, 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson
Nils Boe January 20, 1969 August 10, 1971 Richard Nixon [6]
Hebert McCoy August 10, 1971 August 9, 1974
August 9, 1974 January 20, 1977 Gerald Ford
Jack Watson January 20, 1977 June 11, 1980 Jimmy Carter [7][8]
Gene Eidenberg June 11, 1980 January 20, 1981 [9]
Rich Williamson January 20, 1981 May 17, 1983 Ronald Reagan [10]
Lee Verstandig May 24, 1983 March 26, 1985 [11]
Mitch Daniels March 26, 1985 October 1, 1985 [12]
Deborah Steelman October 17, 1985 April 17, 1986 [13]
Gwendolyn King April 17, 1986 May 2, 1988 [14]
Andy Card May 2, 1988 September 21, 1988 [15]
Karen Spencer September 21, 1988 January 20, 1989 [16]
Deb Anderson January 20, 1989 January 24, 1992 George H. W. Bush [17]
Sherrie Rollins January 24, 1992 January 20, 1993 [18]
Regina Montoya January 20, 1993 August 7, 1993 Bill Clinton [19]
Marcia Hale August 7, 1993 May 16, 1997 [19]
Mickey Ibarra May 16, 1997 January 20, 2001 [20]
Ruben Barrales January 20, 2001 December 28, 2006 George W. Bush [21]
Maggie Grant December 28, 2006 January 4, 2008 [22]
Janet Creighton January 4, 2008 January 20, 2009 [23]
Cecilia Muñoz January 20, 2009 January 10, 2012 Barack Obama [24]
David Agnew January 10, 2012 November 17, 2014 [25]
Jerry Abramson November 17, 2014 January 20, 2017 [26]
Justin Clark January 20, 2017 March 18, 2018 Donald Trump [27]
Doug Hoelscher March 18, 2018 January 20, 2021 [28]
Julie Rodriguez January 20, 2021 May 16, 2023 Joe Biden [29]
Vacant May 16, 2023 June 12, 2023 [30]
Tom Perez June 12, 2023 present [31]

Political and Intergovernmental Affairs

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During the second term of the Reagan administration, there was a director of political and intergovernmental affairs who sat above the political director and intergovernmental affairs director.

Image Name Start End President
Ed Rollins February 5, 1985 October 1, 1985 Ronald Reagan
Mitch Daniels October 1, 1985 March 1, 1987
Frank Donatelli March 1, 1987 January 20, 1989

Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs

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During the Obama administration, there was a director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs who sat above the public engagement director and intergovernmental affairs director.

Image Name Start End President
Valerie Jarrett January 20, 2009 January 20, 2017 Barack Obama

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Readout of the White House Forum on State and Federal Relations". whitehouse.gov. 2017-09-13 – via National Archives.
  2. ^ a b Pazniokas, Mark (January 19, 2017). "Justin Clark named to White House staff". The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  3. ^ "Julie Rodriguez - Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs". Biden-Harris Transition. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Patterson, Bradley H. (1994). "Teams and Staff: Dwight Eisenhower's Innovations in the Structure and Operations of the Modern White House". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 24 (2): 277–298. JSTOR 27551241.
  5. ^ "PYLE, HOWARD: Records, 1955-59" (PDF). Eisenhower Library. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  6. ^ "Statement on Signing Executive Order Establishing the Office of Intergovernmental Relations. | the American Presidency Project".
  7. ^ "Jack H. Watson, Jr. Oral History | Miller Center". 27 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Digest of Other White House Announcements Week Ending Friday, | the American Presidency Project".
  9. ^ "Digest of Other White House Announcements Week Ending | the American Presidency Project".
  10. ^ "Letter Accepting the Resignation of Richard S. Williamson as Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  11. ^ "Appointment of Lee Verstandig as Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  12. ^ "Appointment of Mitchell Daniels, Jr., as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  13. ^ "Appointment of Deborah Steelman as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  14. ^ "Appointment of Gwendolyn S. King as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  15. ^ "Appointment of Andrew H. Card, Jr., as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  16. ^ "Appointment of Karen Spencer as Deputy Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  17. ^ "Appointment of Debra Rae Anderson as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  18. ^ "Appointment of Sherrie S. Rollins as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
  19. ^ a b "Statement on White House Staff Changes | the American Presidency Project".
  20. ^ "Digest of Other White House Announcements | the American Presidency Project".
  21. ^ "President Bush to Nominate Barrales as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of OGA | the American Presidency Project".
  22. ^ "Personnel Announcement | the American Presidency Project".
  23. ^ "Personnel Announcement | the American Presidency Project".
  24. ^ "Press Release: President-Elect Barack Obama Names Two New White House Staff Members | the American Presidency Project".
  25. ^ "Press Release - President Obama Announces New White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs David Agnew | the American Presidency Project".
  26. ^ "Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson resigns; Governor appoints successor". Archived from the original on 2014-11-06.
  27. ^ "Press Release - President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announces Second Wave of Additional White House Staff | the American Presidency Project".
  28. ^ "Press Release - President Donald J. Trump Announces Appointments for the Executive Office of the President | the American Presidency Project".
  29. ^ "Press Release - President-elect Joe Biden Announces Members of White House Senior Staff | the American Presidency Project".
  30. ^ "Julie Chavez Rodriguez, from quiet aide to running Biden's campaign". The Washington Post. 2023-05-01. Archived from the original on 2023-05-01.
  31. ^ "Statement from President Joe Biden on Tom Perez". 12 June 2023.
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