President Donald Trump’s top liaison to Congress is preparing to leave the White House, adding another consequential vacancy to a growing list of senior administration departures.
James Braid, 35, is expected to step down as White House director of legislative affairs in the coming weeks. CNN reported that Braid plans to enter the private sector, citing a Trump administration official. Politico also confirmed the planned departure but said his next destination was not immediately clear.
Vice President JD Vance publicly praised Braid after the reports surfaced, writing on X that he “had one of the toughest jobs in the entire Administration” and delivered for Trump “at every turn.”
Vance credited Braid with helping secure tax cuts, immigration enforcement resources, border wall funding, Cabinet confirmations and the administration’s first major cryptocurrency legislation. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also praised Braid’s work and wished him and his family well in their next chapter, according to The Guardian.
Braid occupied a critical position inside the West Wing. A White House personnel announcement identified him as the official managing the Office of Legislative Affairs, which coordinates the administration’s dealings with House and Senate lawmakers.
That job became especially important as Trump sought to move an ambitious agenda through Congress despite narrow Republican majorities and periodic resistance from GOP lawmakers.
Braid played a central role in passing Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the president’s signature domestic policy package. He also helped manage difficult Cabinet confirmation battles and more recently worked to advance bipartisan housing legislation.
Before joining the White House, Braid served as Vance’s legislative director and deputy chief of staff in the Senate. His earlier Capitol Hill experience included senior positions with Republican Reps. Matt Rosendale of Montana, Ken Buck of Colorado, Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Ted Budd of North Carolina. He also served as policy director for the conservative House Freedom Caucus and held a legislative affairs position at the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first term.
Those relationships made Braid a valuable bridge between the White House, congressional leadership and conservative lawmakers who were not always prepared to fall in line behind the administration.
His exit comes amid a cluster of high-profile personnel changes.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that she will leave at the end of August to spend more time with her family. Trump called Leavitt one of his most trusted aides and said she would remain a top outside adviser and an influential Republican voice, Newsmax reported.
White House deputy national security adviser Andy Baker is also departing for the private sector after serving as a central figure in foreign-policy deliberations and negotiations with Iran. A source close to Baker said he wanted to spend more time with his family and had remained longer than planned to help ensure an orderly transition, according to Axios.
Emily Underwood, a senior policy aide and top deputy to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, is leaving to become a partner at the venture-capital firm Trust Ventures. Underwood helped coordinate policy across federal agencies and led administration efforts involving nuclear-energy research and development, Axios reported.
