Biden builds out White House legislative affairs team

President-elect Joe Biden is building out his legislative affairs team in the White House, announcing two more key roles in the office that will guide his agenda through what could be a divided Congress.

Biden announced Reema Dodin and Shuwanza Goff as deputy directors of legislative affairs Monday. Both are women of color, further fulfilling his campaign promise to shape an administration that reflects the diversity of the country.

Dodin currently serves as deputy chief of staff and floor director to Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. She is also a volunteer on the Biden-Harris transition team leading legislative engagement for the confirmations process, per the transition’s release.

Goff comes to the position with experience working on Capitol Hill, where she served as floor director for the House of Representatives under House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. She was the first Black woman to hold the position. Before that, Goff was director of legislative operations for Hoyer when he served as minority whip.

Dodin and Goff will serve under Louisa Terrell, who was announced last week as director of legislative affairs. Terrell — a veteran of former President Barack Obama’s administration and Biden’s Senate office and also worked as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s chief of staff — is a former Facebook and Yahoo lobbyist. She was executive director of the Biden Foundation.

Her selection was one of four White House staffing announcements Biden’s transition team made Friday, bringing back into the fold several former Obama administration hands who had previously worked closely with Biden.

The steady stream of staff announcements indicates that Biden has no intention of allowing President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede slow down his own transition process. He is expected to make his first Cabinet announcements Tuesday, including longtime aide Antony Blinken as secretary of state.