Top Latino Biden aide stepping down
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Adrian Saenz. Photo courtesy of Adrian Saenz.
An aide to President Biden says he’s proud of the work the administration has done in Hispanic and other communities as he leaves his job.
The big picture: Adrian Saenz, who also served in the Obama administration, became deputy director for the Office of Public Engagement in early 2021, helping oversee a department tasked with connecting the White House with stakeholders and constituents. He's also a special assistant to the president.
- He said Wednesday was his last day and will be spending more time with family.
Saenz helped build a team that’s worked with Latino civil rights groups and families of the Uvalde shooting victims, while also undertaking a COVID-19 vaccine educational campaign and helping make the shot more accessible.
- His boss, Cedric Richmond, said Saenz’s experience and "political intuition was invaluable.”
- “His network and relationships, both in and outside of the White House, have been a real asset to the President and to the day-to-day work of OPE,” Richmond said in a statement to Axios.
What they’re saying: Saenz told Axios that the office of public engagement has worked with all types of groups on top issues, including the economy and pandemic.
- “So much of what the president has talked about (is) all about investing and rebuilding the economy, and that positively impacts Latino communities from where I'm from in South Texas to Latino communities in the Midwest,” Saenz said.
