Familiar Faces to Fill New Roles at White House

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced a series of personnel moves at the White House Friday, including the fact that Neera Tanden will succeed the departing Susan Rice to serve as assistant to the president and domestic policy advisor.

In addition, Stefanie Feldman, who started her public service career as an intern in then-Vice President Biden’s domestic and economic policy office, will now serve as assistant to the president and staff secretary. 

And Zayn Siddique, who currently serves as deputy assistant to the president for economic mobility and deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council, has been promoted to principal deputy of the Domestic Policy Council.

“For over two years, Susan Rice has helped craft and implement my domestic policy agenda and our country owes a debt of gratitude for her history-making public service,” Biden said in a statement distributed by the White House. 

“I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education,” he said. 

Tanden currently serves as senior advisor to President Biden and staff secretary. She served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as presidential campaigns and think tanks. 

Most recently, Tanden was the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. 

She previously served as senior advisor for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, working on President Obama’s health reform team in the White House.

Prior to that, she was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, and served as policy director for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

Tanden received her Bachelor of Science from UCLA and her Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School.

The president went on to say that in her current role as senior advisor and staff secretary, Tanden had “overseen decision-making processes across my domestic, economic and national security teams.”

“She has 25 years of experience in public policy, has served three presidents, and led one of the largest think tanks in the country for nearly a decade,” he continued. “She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform. 

“While growing up, Neera relied on some of the critical programs that she will oversee as domestic policy advisor, and I know those insights will serve my administration and the American people well. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Neera in her new role,” Biden said.

The president’s comments then turned to Feldman, who he called one of his “longest-serving and most trusted advisors.”

“I asked Stef to join me from the White House to the University of Delaware, to my presidential campaign, and back to the White House because of her talent and tenacious pursuit of policies that make life better for hard-working Americans. I have now asked her to serve as staff secretary because I know I can trust her to ensure that I am equipped with the best advice and counsel,” he said.

Stefanie Feldman currently serves as deputy assistant to the president and senior advisor to the White House domestic policy advisor. 

Previously, she served as the national policy director for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign, the inaugural policy director for the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration, and in various policy roles in the White House Office of the Vice President during the Obama-Biden administration. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

Zayn Siddique currently leads White House policy development on issues including housing, child care, education, workforce and agriculture.  

Previously, Siddique served as senior advisor to the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Bruce Reed. He also served as chief of staff for the domestic and economic team for the Biden-Harris transition and as a member of Vice President Harris’ prep team for the 2020 vice-presidential debate. 

Prior to the administration, Siddique practiced constitutional and appellate law at a firm in New York City. He also served as a law clerk at all three levels of the federal court system, including for Justice Elena Kagan of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Originally from Bangladesh and raised in New York, Siddique is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue