Administration

White House chief of staff to speak to Senate Democrats

White House chief of staff Ron Klain is heading to Capitol Hill on Thursday and is expected to speak to Senate Democrats.

Klain is expected to speak during the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee lunch, a source familiar with the plans told The Hill. The chief of staff is expected to provide a look ahead and talk about White House priorities for the rest of the year.

A White House official confirmed that Klain will attend the lunch.

The official said he will talk about plans after the State of the Union address on March 1, since the Senate is out next week and the speech is the following week. 

Klain will also discuss the Supreme Court confirmation process and other priorities, the official said.

He will be joined by  White House aides Louisa Terrell, Cedric Richmond, and Kate Bedingfield.

The meeting comes as Biden’s legislative agenda has stalled in the Senate. One of his key priorities Build Back Better has been a point of contention for Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.).

Biden has talked about breaking the legislation into “chunks” to make it more palatable for senators.

During a press conference last month, Biden said the public doesn’t want him to be a “president-senator.”

“They want me to be president and let senators be senators,” he said.

Updated at 4:10 p.m.