CNN — Washington (CNN) — Janet Yellen isn’t a political operator, but she’s one of President Joe Biden’s strongest and most credible economic messengers.
And in an election year when Biden needs all the help he can get to make his economic message break through – a majority of voters, 55%, say Biden’s policies have worsened economic conditions in a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS – the Treasury secretary is taking that message on the road.
Yellen recently went on the offensive, offering a rare pair of jabs at former President Donald Trump on infrastructure and taxes – and a concrete example of how the White House is leveraging its Cabinet members for a general election push.
“In the Trump administration, the idea of doing anything to fix [infrastructure] was a punchline, but this administration has delivered,” she said in remarks on middle-class investment to the Economic Club of Chicago, while also chiding Trump’s tax policy.
The next day, Yellen went to battleground Wisconsin, touting funding for a manufacturing training facility. And she is expected to travel to multiple states in the Midwest next week, a Treasury official said.
Her ability to stay largely apolitical and her depth of experience makes her a trusted and effective emissary in the White House’s eyes, as Biden looks to use his lieutenants as a key part of his reelection push. The president’s Cabinet consists of people who administration officials feel are some of his most effective and politically astute messengers, representing one of the ways that the president – wracked by stubbornly low approval ratings – can use the levers of the incumbency to drive his message to the American people.
By relying on younger and more diverse Cabinet members who are deeply knowledgeable about the provisions of Biden’s biggest legislative accomplishments, the administration is hoping to break through the lack of enthusiasm around the president’s run for a second term. Those younger voices may become even more crucial in the wake of special counsel Robert Hur’s report that – while not charging the president with any crimes – raised concerns over the president’s age and memory, which drew the ire of the White House.
Other Cabinet officials like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona are deploying to communities in key locations across the country to tout their boss’ legislative accomplishments and other priorities, aiming to put meat on the bones of the president’s agenda. They’re also leveraging their diverse personal backgrounds to connect and engage with key coalitions.
Many of them have experience as former governors, candidates, members of Congress and local officials. They can also get a different – and more intimate – perspective on the ground than the outsize footprint that comes with presidential travel.
“They’ve done this themselves – they’ve worked with mayors. They understand jobs and what that investment can do to a state, and how it can really reshape or rebuild a community,” a senior administration official who works closely with a Cabinet member said.
“They can have their ear a little bit closer to the community in an authentic way,” the official said, adding that they have the unique ability to follow up and “do the real work” of escalating any questions or specific concerns among their agencies.
Biden’s built-in arsenal of emissaries will spend the next nine months traveling to politically strategic states on taxpayer-funded official trips, though they’re also traveling to places with limited utility for building a 2024 coalition. The goal is to communicate the benefits of Biden’s legislative wins with authority, attending groundbreakings and ribbon-cuttings and listening sessions as they shine a light on the job creation and other direct impacts of the…
This article was originally published by a www.wral.com . Read the Original article here. .