President Trump has named Catharine A. Bailey, known as Katie Bailey, to lead the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, elevating a Capitol Hill veteran and current deputy to the administration’s top congressional liaison post. The president announced the appointment on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in a post on Truth Social.
Bailey moves into the role after serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs. She first joined the administration as Special Assistant to the President, a position she held from September 2025 to June 2026 before moving into the deputy legislative affairs role.
A Capitol Hill Background
Before joining the White House, Bailey worked on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director for Senator Mike Braun, a Republican from Indiana. That experience placed her at the center of Senate legislative operations, managing a member’s floor strategy, bill drafting, and coordination with committees and other offices.
Bailey is also affiliated with the Conservative Partnership Institute, a training and networking organization for conservative congressional staff and policymakers.
Her path to the West Wing runs through the legislative branch rather than a communications or campaign background, a profile the White House has highlighted as it prepares for the final stretch of the 2026 legislative calendar. In announcing the appointment, Trump said Bailey understands how the executive and legislative branches can most effectively work together, and he credited her work helping confirm the administration’s Cabinet nominees.
What the Office of Legislative Affairs Does
The Office of Legislative Affairs serves as the White House’s chief liaison to Congress. It coordinates legislative strategy across the administration, communicates the president’s priorities to members and their staffs, and shepherds the president’s nominations through the Senate confirmation process.
The timing of Bailey’s promotion places her at the helm of that operation less than a month before the November 2026 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. In the run-up to the vote, the office typically balances two tasks: advancing the administration’s remaining legislative priorities during the lame-duck period and preparing for the possibility of a changed congressional map in January.
Nominations remain a constant responsibility regardless of the election calendar. The office tracks pending nominees, works with committee staff on hearing schedules, and counts votes on the floor, a function Bailey’s colleagues have said she handled in her deputy role. Her elevation signals continuity in that effort rather than a change in approach.
Transition From James Braid
Bailey succeeds James Braid, Trump’s longest-tenured legislative affairs director, who is moving on from the role. Braid’s tenure spanned multiple sessions of Congress and covered several of the administration’s major legislative pushes.
The handoff comes as the White House enters a period of heightened political uncertainty. With control of both chambers on the ballot in November, the next director of legislative affairs will likely manage relationships with a Congress that could look substantially different in the new year. Bailey’s promotion keeps the office in the hands of an official already familiar with its operations, its congressional contacts, and the administration’s outstanding nominations.
Bailey’s appointment does not require Senate confirmation, and she is expected to assume the role immediately.
