The White House has a new chief liaison to Congress, and the timing is pointed. Katie Bailey was offered the job of director of the Office of Legislative Affairs by President Trump on a Friday and accepted, according to multiple sources cited by CBS News.
Strategically, the calculus is simple. Bailey takes over less than a month before midterm elections that could hand either chamber to the Democrats; both the House and Senate are currently held by Republicans in slim majorities.
Replacing Braid
She succeeds James Braid, who stepped down the previous month, as Vice President JD Vance announced. Trump confirmed the move in a Truth Social post on Saturday night, writing that Bailey “will be fantastic, and work tirelessly with Congress to pass Bills that help, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. He praised Braid for doing a “fabulous job” and said he was heading to the private sector. Braid’s last day was to be the following Tuesday.
Vance had said Braid held “one of the toughest jobs in the entire Administration”. Among Braid’s achievements, Vance listed the largest tax cut ever, resources for the immigration agenda and the border wall, defeating two Democratic shutdowns, a first crypto bill and the fastest cabinet confirmations in decades.
A known quantity
Bailey is not coming from outside. She already serves as special assistant to the president and deputy director of legislative affairs. Before that she was legislative director for Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun through his six-year term, which ended in January 2025 when he won election as the state’s governor.
