Phil Schiliro returns to White House
A former top aide to President Barack Obama will return to the White House next week as a legislative strategist on Obamacare, senior administration officials said Friday.
Phil Schiliro, who helped steer the law to passage as Obama�™s chief Hill liaison, is expected to provide discipline and coordination on the policy side in the way that Jeff Zients corralled contractors, government workers and technology experts to relaunch HealthCare.gov.
Schiliro�™s assignment, which will last several months, is Obama�™s first personnel move at the White House since the disastrous rollout of HealthCare.gov. The president faces pressure from some Democrats to shake up his staff and dismiss administration officials who were responsible for building the insurance exchanges.
�œWe are focused like a laser on reducing health care costs implementing the Affordable Care Act, and Phil will be vital to ensuring it is done right,” White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said in a statement. �œAnyone who has worked with him, knows Phil has the expertise, the wisdom, and the relationships to tackle any project – large or small. We are blessed to have him back.”
Schiliro will focus on beating back Republican repeal attempts, shoring up Democratic support and coordinating among the executive agencies on implementation of the law.
Schiliro�™s appointment, which was first reported by the New York Times, appears designed to take pressure off McDonough. He has taken the reins on almost all aspects of the law, acting as a legislative tactician, implementation troubleshooter and crisis manager. Chief among McDonough�™s tasks has been allaying concerns among Hill Democrats.
Schiliro left the White House in December 2011 after serving as an architect of Obama�™s top legislative achievements of his first term, including Obamacare, the economic stimulus program and the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law.
He decamped for New Mexico with his family and opened a consulting business aimed at helping nonprofits.
�œWe moved to New Mexico to go in a new direction, but this is important to the President,” Schiliro said in a statement. �œA law that guarantees coverage to millions of Americans, improves quality, and saves hundreds of billions of dollars is worth fighting for. I hope to help with that effort.”
Schiliro, who was a senior adviser to Obama�™s presidential campaign, worked on Capitol Hill for almost three decades. He spent much of that time as chief of staff to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and the House Oversight Committee, where he helped guided the eight-year fight to pass the Clean Air Act. Politico
ARA/ARA
Source: Press TV
Source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/phil-schiliro-returns-to-white-house/
