Louisa Terrell — One of President Joe Biden’s longest-serving staffers is reportedly intending to leave the White House by the end of July. Louisa Terrell is the White House director of legislative affairs, and she has been a key figure in assembling a staff to act as the president’s eyes and ears in Congress.
Terrell’s public persona isn’t as well-known, but she has considerable power behind the scenes. She is the president’s official point of contact for everything that happens on Capitol Hill, with a staff serving as his eyes and ears. Louisa Terrell has been instrumental in Biden’s legislative victories, executive branch appointments, and judicial nominations. Her work for the president began more than two decades ago, while Biden was still a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Read more: Joe Biden meets King Charles III for the first time in months
With Congress
Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress during Biden’s first two years in office. The government had several legislative victories at the time, including the Covid-focused American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Although it was not easy to bring together a geographically and philosophically diverse Democratic Party on Capitol Hill. However, that was nothing compared to the task of running point for the president in Congress once Republicans won control of the House. The legislative agenda shifted dramatically, as did the GOP’s commitment to overseeing and investigating the Biden administration.
Following the 2022 midterm elections, Louisa Terrell discussed the contacts she and her team had secretly cultivated with Republicans in order for them not to “parachute in” to offices of members in leadership positions on the opposite side of the aisle.
As the Republicans took over the White House, Jeff Zients took over as chief of staff from Ron Klain, and he stated he depended on Terrell so much that they would communicate even before coming to the office in the morning, late at night after returning home, and at least five times a day.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer complimented Louisa Terrell’s devotion and strategic engagement, calling it the cornerstone to Biden’s administration and Congressional Democrats’ historic triumph.
“She’s worked tirelessly to help diversify the federal bench, confirm the president’s well qualified and historic nominees, and pass the most aggressive and successful legislative agenda in generations,” said Schumer.
In a statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also commended Terrell, saying:
“On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, we are tremendously grateful to Louisa Terrell for her partnership as we advanced President Biden’s historic legislative agenda over the last two years. From the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to the Inflation Reduction Act to averting a catastrophic default on our debt, Louisa has been there with us every step of the way.”
Connecting with the Bidens
When Louisa Terrell began working as a worker for then-Senator Biden on the Judiciary Committee after law school, she characterized herself as “just a gal from Delaware” who was in awe of the professional legal clerks and seasoned employees around her. Terrell rose swiftly through the ranks, subsequently serving as Biden’s deputy chief of staff before joining the Obama administration’s Office of Legislative Affairs, where she now manages before leaving.
Terrell knew Biden prior to working for him. When she was younger, she was a childhood friend of his late son Beau, riding her bike to the Biden house in Delaware. The relationship helped her comprehend the Biden sensibility at an early age, allowing her to thrive for years on his campaign team.
“He knows my folks and just being connected that way,” Terrell said of Biden in late 2022. “You know where the person came from and I think that helps.”
“It brings a warmth to the work and I feel very, very lucky about that.”
Reaction to Louisa Terrell’s exit
When word of Louisa Terrell’s departure from the White House broke, President Joe Biden issued a statement in her honor.
“As a US Senator for 36 years, I have developed a deep respect and reverence for the United States Congress and its vital institutional role in our democracy,” the statement reads. “When I was elected President, I knew that no one understood that better – or would be a better partner to my decades-long friends and former colleagues – than Louisa Terrell.”
“That’s because, for years – as a Senator, as Vice President, as President, and every moment in between – I have relied on Louisa for her wise counsel and her skill. I have relied upon her to reflect my values. And I have relied upon her to deliver for the American people. Every step of the way, that’s exactly what she has done.”
Biden’s adviser, Steve Richetti, was among the top administration officials who praised Terrell, saying:
“She was indispensable. She was at the center of everything that we did. On legislative wins, nominations, confirmations, legislative strategy. Every part of what we have done in two and a half years that involved Congress, she has been at the heart of.”
Richetti had also worked with Terrell for decades, stating that her departure will leave “huge, huge shoes to fill,” but that she had earned the opportunity to spend more time with family.
When they were both working in the Obama administration, Jeff Zients, the White House chief of staff, first met Louisa Terrell. He described Terrell as a major essential in helping choose and confirm the president’s cabinet during the post-election transition. Terrells “superpower” is also her emotional intelligence, according to Zient.
“She is so good at identifying the human element in every interaction,” said Zients, describing the way she listens and emphasizes lawmakers’ perspective over negotiations and strategy sessions. “They say you should walk a mile in other people’s shoes. Louisa has done marathons in dozens if not hundreds of people’s shoes.”
