American political advisor (born 1960)
Bruce Reed (born March 16, 1960) is an American political advisor and non-profit administrator who was the president of the
Broad Foundation .
[1] Prior to assuming that role in December 2013, he served as
Chief of Staff to U.S. Vice President
Joe Biden and as CEO of the
Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). On December 22, 2020, it was announced that Reed would serve as a
White House deputy chief of staff in the
Biden administration , along with
Jen O'Malley Dillon .
[2]
Early life and education
Reed was born in
Boise, Idaho and raised in
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho , the son of former state senator
Mary Lou Reed (née Case) and Scott Reed.
[3] After graduating from
Coeur d'Alene High School , he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Princeton University in 1982 and completed a 92-page long senior thesis titled "
Dickens , Decency, and Discontent:
George Orwell and the Literature of Generous Anger".
[4]
[5] He then earned a master's degree in
English Literature from
Oxford University as a
Rhodes Scholar .
Career
Reed served as chief speechwriter for
Tennessee Senator
Al Gore from 1985 to 1989. He was founding editor of the DLC magazine, The New Democrat and served as policy director of the DLC from 1990 to 1991 under DLC Chairman and
Governor of Arkansas
Bill Clinton . In 1992, he was deputy campaign manager for policy of the
Clinton-Gore presidential campaign . During the Clinton presidency, Reed served as chief domestic policy advisor and director of the
Domestic Policy Council . Reed oversaw the administration's criminal justice policy, and worked closely with
Joe Biden to pass "tough-on-crime" legislation including the
1994 Crime Bill .
[6]
[7] Reed also helped to write the 1996 welfare reform law known as the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act . He is credited with coining the
welfare reform catchphrase, "end welfare as we know it."
[8]
In 2006, Reed published his book The Plan: Big Ideas for America , co-written by
Rahm Emanuel . A review of the book in
Foreign Affairs notes "the most important big idea in the book is that Democrats should stop defending the New Deal and instead concentrate on recasting it for a more mobile society."
[9]
Reed is the author of the taunt, "change you can Xerox," from the
February 21, 2008, presidential primary debate in
Austin, Texas . Reed supplied Senator
Hillary Clinton with the phrase to invoke accusations of
plagiarism against rival Senator
Barack Obama while parodying his campaign slogan: "Change you can believe in."
[10]
In the spring of 2010, Reed took a leave of absence from the DLC to become executive director and president of the
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform , a commission tasked with balancing the national budget during the
Great Recession .
[11]
On January 14, 2011, he was named Chief of Staff to Vice President
Joe Biden , succeeding
Ron Klain .
[12] In November 2013, it was announced that he would step down as chief of staff to become president of the
Broad Foundation .
[13]
During the
2020 United States presidential election , Reed worked as a technology policy advisor on
Biden's presidential campaign .
[14]
Shortly after Biden's victory, Reed was reportedly under consideration to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
[15] This sparked backlash from liberal critics who questioned his views on government spending.
[16] On December 22, 2020, it was announced that Reed would serve as a
White House deputy chief of staff in the
Biden administration , along with
Jen O'Malley Dillon .
[17]
Selected works
References
^ Plummer, Mary (November 13, 2013).
"Broad Foundation names Bruce Reed – Vice-President Joe Biden's chief of staff – its new president" .
KPCC . Retrieved November 13, 2013 .
^ Cassella, Megan (December 22, 2020).
"Biden announces 6 senior White House staff picks, including Bruce Reed" .
Politico . Retrieved December 23, 2020 .
^ Oliveria, D.F. (January 18, 2017).
"Profile: Bruce Reed's head is in DC, heart in Lake City" .
The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved December 17, 2020 .
^ Donovan-Smith, Orion (December 29, 2020).
"Biden taps longtime adviser and Coeur d'Alene native Bruce Reed as deputy chief of staff" .
The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved February 14, 2021 .
^ Reed, Bruce Nelson (1982).
Dickens, Decency, and Discontent: George Orwell and the Literature of Generous Anger (senior thesis).
Princeton University .
^
"Bruce Reed" .
whitehouse.gov . Retrieved May 22, 2020 – via
National Archives .
^
"Vice President Biden Announces Bruce Reed as New Chief of Staff" .
whitehouse.gov . January 14, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2020 – via
National Archives .
^ Carney, James; Tumulty, Karen (October 30, 2000).
"How They Run The Show" . CNN . Retrieved April 27, 2010 .
^
"The Plan: Big Ideas for America" . Foreign Affairs: America and the World . January 28, 2009.
ISSN
0015-7120 . Retrieved May 22, 2020 .
^
Baker, Peter; Kornblut, Anne E. (March 5, 2008).
"Even in Victory, Clinton Team Is Battling Itself" . The Washington Post . pp. A01.
^ Eggan, Dan (November 10, 2010).
"Many deficit commission staffers paid by outside groups" . The Washington Post .
^
VP Biden Names Bruce Reed as New Chief of Staff Jake Tapper,
The Washington Post , January 14, 2011
^
"Vice President Biden Announces New Chief of Staff" .
whitehouse.gov . November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014 – via
National Archives .
^ Feiner, Lauren (December 2, 2020).
"Biden tech advisor: Hold social media companies accountable for what their users post" . CNBC . Retrieved December 17, 2020 .
^ Kuttner, Robert (November 19, 2020).
"Will Biden Name a Deficit Hawk to Head OMB?" . The American Prospect . Retrieved August 2, 2021 .
^ Kapur, Sahil (November 24, 2020).
"Biden's 'balancing act' with early personnel picks shows how he'll govern" .
NBC News . Retrieved August 2, 2021 .
^ Nichols, Hans (December 22, 2020).
"Joe Biden finally announces White House spot for longtime aide Bruce Reed" .
Axios . Retrieved December 23, 2020 .
External links
Office Name Term Office Name Term
White House Chief of Staff
Jeff Zients 2023–pres.
National Security Advisor
Jake Sullivan 2021–pres.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Jen O'Malley Dillon 2021–pres.
Deputy National Security Advisor
Jonathan Finer 2021–pres.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Bruce Reed 2021–pres.
Homeland Security Advisor
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall 2021–pres.
Counselor to the President
Steve Ricchetti 2021–pres.
White House Communications Director
Ben LaBolt 2023–pres. Deputy White House Communications Director
Pili Tobar 2021–pres. Senior Advisor to the President
Mike Donilon 2021–pres.
Kate Berner 2021–pres.
Anita Dunn 2021, 2022-pres.
White House Press Secretary
Karine Jean-Pierre 2022–pres. Director,
Public Engagement
Stephen K. Benjamin 2022–pres. Deputy Press Secretary Vacant 2022–pres. Director,
Intergovernmental Affairs
Tom Perez 2023–pres.
Director, Speechwriting
Vinay Reddy 2021–pres. Chair,
Council of Economic Advisers
Jared Bernstein 2023–pres. Director,
Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty 2021–pres. Director,
Domestic Policy Council
Neera Tanden 2023–pres. Director, Legislative Affairs
Shuwanza Goff 2023–pres.
White House Cabinet Secretary
Evan Ryan 2021–pres. Director,
Presidential Personnel
Gautam Raghavan 2022–pres. Director, Oval Office Operations Annie Tomasini 2021–pres.
White House Staff Secretary Stefanie Feldman 2023-pres.
Personal Aide to the President Stephen Goepfert 2021–pres. Director, Management and Administration Dave Noble 2022–pres.
Chief of Staff to the First Lady Vacant 2022–pres. Director, Scheduling and Advance Ryan Montoya 2021–pres. Director,
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Arati Prabhakar 2022–pres.
White House Social Secretary
Carlos Elizondo 2021–pres. Director,
Office of Management and Budget
Shalanda Young 2021–pres.
Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Lorraine Voles 2022–pres.
United States Trade Representative
Katherine Tai 2021–pres.
White House Chief Usher Robert B. Downing 2021–pres. Director,
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Rahul Gupta 2021–pres. Director,
White House Military Office Vacant 2022–pres. Chair,
Council on Environmental Quality
Brenda Mallory 2021–pres.
(s) Indicates nominee requiring Senate confirmation.
Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Steve Ricchetti Counsel to the Vice President
Cynthia Hogan Counselor to the Vice President
Mike Donilon Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison
Evan Ryan Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications
Shailagh Murray Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Shailagh Murray Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President
Brian P. McKeon Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Second Lady
Carlos Elizondo National Security Adviser to the Vice President
Colin Kahl
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