WASHINGTON—White House chief of staff Ron Klain is trying to avoid the pitfalls of the last Democratic administration with his approach to President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package: Don’t spend months pursuing Republican votes and don’t wait to start selling it to the public.
Mr. Klain, a longtime adviser to Mr. Biden, watched the Obama administration struggle to gain public approval for its economic stimulus package and push for GOP votes for the Affordable Care Act, colleagues and allies say. Now, he is advancing a White House strategy to engage Republicans while preparing to pass the president’s policies without their support. He has also been a key messenger, appearing on cable shows and tweeting so much that some Republican aides on Capitol Hill said his feed has become a must-read.
The approach has won praise from Democrats, but Mr. Klain has become a lightning rod among Republicans, who accuse the White House of jettisoning campaign promises to work across the aisle. The White House’s inability, meanwhile, to win confirmation for Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget is an early stumble.
With the Covid-19 package moving forward in the Senate, Mr. Biden’s White House is eyeing its first major legislative win, following six weeks of executive actions and administrative moves to combat the pandemic. Mr. Klain, who declined an interview request, has counseled the staff to stay calm during highs and lows, telling colleagues this week after Ms. Tanden withdrew that “this is the process; no president gets every single nominee that they put forward.”
Mr. Klain—who was chief of staff for Mr. Biden when he was vice president and worked for him in the Senate—has preached the need for Democrats to remain united. He has been in regular touch with both centrists and progressives within the party, many of whom he has known for decades.
“He’s got busy thumbs,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), who met Mr. Klain years ago when they discussed her 2003 book, “The Two-Income Trap.” “You see it on Twitter, but also he’s very responsive, texting back and forth and willing to keep talking.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), in an interview, said he appreciated Mr. Klain’s candor. He recalled “an instance where something got screwed up” at the start of the administration. “And I called him and he said, ‘You know, we screwed it up.’ And he fixed it,” Mr. Schumer said, adding: “I’m in the Ron Klain fan club.”
Republicans have sought to brand Mr. Biden’s staff, most notably Mr. Klain, as an obstacle to bipartisanship.
Sen. Susan Collins
(R., Maine) was part of a group of Republicans who met last month with Mr. Biden to discuss a roughly $600 billion counter offer to the president’s $1.9 trillion package. She and others described Mr. Biden as more receptive than his chief.
The president “was very attentive, gracious, into the details. There was a great discussion. And Ron was shaking his head in the back of the room the whole time, which is not exactly an encouraging sign,” Ms. Collins said.
Sen. Todd Young,
(R., Ind.) was also at the meeting. He said Republicans want to work with the White House “when it’s in the best interest of our constituents, but we’ve gotten nowhere on this first effort and that clearly is not a good way to begin our relationship.”
The White House said that Mr. Klain wasn’t dismissive of…
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