The White House’s top liaison to Congress is stepping down after serving two years in a post often criticized by Republicans for its failure to bridge the nearly one-mile divide separating Capitol Hill from the Oval Office.
Katie Beirne Fallon, the director of White House legislative affairs, will soon leave the job, and Amy Rosenbaum, the deputy director, will move into the top role.
In a statement about Fallon’s departure, President Obama credited her with making progress in White House efforts to reach out to Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill after criticism about the office’s track record.
“Republicans and Democrats in Congress have their differences, but when it comes to Katie, they’re united in their admiration and respect,” Obama said.
The president acknowledged that Fallon came into her role at a time when the White House needed to “build up our relationships with folks in both parties.”
“And from bipartisan budget agreements, to protecting a deal that will prevent a nuclear Iran, to ensuring the long-stalled Ex-Im and IMF reforms were enacted, we simply could not have made the progress we’ve made without her,” he said.
Fallon, who is married to Hillary Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon, was hired in early 2014 to hit the reset button on the White House legislative affairs office.
She replaced Miguel Rodriguez, an affable but low-key legislative strategist who drew complaints from many Republicans and even some Democrats on Capitol Hill for failing to develop relationships and not spending enough face-time in the halls of Congress.
Several Republican and Democratic sources told the Washington Examiner they had never met Rodriguez.
During Fallon’s tenure, Republican leadership aides cited some progress in communications between Capitol Hill and the White House, but many GOP lawmakers still complained that they never heard from legislative affairs office, unlike their experience with previous Hill liaisons in the Bush and Clinton administrations.
