House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is announcing longtime House staffer Barrett Karr as his new chief of staff Wednesday, as Republicans get ready for a fast start to policymaking, Politico reports.
"Barrett is a natural leader who has served with distinction in both the White House and Congress," McCarthy said in a statement. "Barrett's worth ethic and integrity is well known, and her experience and skill set will be instrumental in the months ahead as we hit the ground running to deliver results for the American people."
Karr described her new job as coordinating GOP schedules and working with the Trump administration to "make sure the train is running on time."
She told Politico she was very excited by the new position, especially coming "on the cusp of such a historic opportunity that not many people who do legislative affairs get to have. We can grow jobs, we can reduce taxes, we can reform the way Washington works."
She also said she was the right person for the right time, because she brings various experiences from different perspective on the Hill.
Karr touted her credentials, saying "I was chief of staff for a member in a personal office… staff director for a committee… a policy director here in the leadership office… and was with George W. [Bush] doing legislative affairs at the White House."
Karr joins an exclusive group of GOP women who run the most powerful offices in the nation as Republicans work to pass Donald Trump's campaign pledges.
She told The Atlantic that she traces her full-steam-ahead attitude back to her early days working in Rep. Kay Granger's office, saying it was good fortune that shortly after her start in politics, Granger was elected to represent Karr's district in the House, becoming Texas' first Republican woman elected to Congress.
"Having that opportunity to work for a woman who saw no bounds in her opportunities or in her career, that certainly informed somebody like me, who was formulating my career strategy, particularly in my 20s," Karr said.
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