Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, discusses the COVID stimulus bill being passed without Republican support, arguing that it could have been bipartisan.
Where’s Janet?
This has been a familiar refrain lately about the country’s new Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, who officials say has maintained an unusually low profile at the White House and Capitol Hill, even as the government pushed for its relief bill COVID-19 $ 1.9 trillion, FOX Business has learned.
According to Treasury Department officials, Yellen barely makes it to the White House today, except to occasionally meet with the president or for an occasional TV interview, people with knowledge of the subject say. She does most of her work remotely and has had very few – if any – face-to-face meetings on the Hill, negotiating with key senators to approve the huge stimulus bill, these people add.
Officials say their immediate replacements also worked mostly remotely during the government’s early days. Many lower-level officials have been working at the Treasury Department headquarters adjacent to the White House, despite the continuing pandemic, people with direct knowledge of the matter told FOX Business.
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Some Treasury officials say Yellen would normally be a key player in the negotiations. His absence in face-to-face conversations, particularly with the key legislators needed to approve the bill, may have contributed to the lengthy nature of the negotiations that only recently received Senate approval this weekend. The bill now heads to the House this week before it lands on Biden’s table.
As secretary of the Treasury, Yellen holds one of the most important cabinet positions in the government, overseeing the US $ 25.3 trillion economy. She and her senior team have access to top-secret information, and handling and protecting that information while working remotely can be problematic, some officials say.
Although Democrats control both the House and the Senate, President Biden faced a setback in key aspects of the bill, even by other Democrats, such as West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.
A Treasury Department spokeswoman declined to comment, but did not deny that Yellen spends most of his time working remotely.
A person close to Yellen, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his work habits did not hinder negotiations and that senior Treasury officials, including Yellen, played a key role in shaping the $ 1.9 trillion package. The person did not say whether Yellen was personally involved with important senators during the difficult negotiations.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 17: Janet Yellen, president of the Federal Reserve Board, speaks during a press conference on December 17, 2014 at the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, DC. The Federal Reserve announced that it
The person also pointed out that the Biden government adopted different and safer working protocols than the Trump administration, where meetings at the White House with unguarded participants often turned into super-publicized events for COVID-19.
“At the end of the day, the legislation was made,” said that person.
Of course, part of Yellen’s absence can be attributed to new pandemic work protocols, in which many people at various companies and in the government have chosen to do their work remotely. Yellen is 74 years old and, based on his age, is in one of the highest risk categories for the virus.
A Treasury spokeswoman did not say whether Yellen was vaccinated; President Biden, 78, has been fully vaccinated since mid-January. The president has also received criticism for maintaining an extraordinarily low profile and, in his case, not having given a formal press conference since he formally took control of the White House.
Still, what is striking about the absence of Yellen and his senior team is that it contrasts sharply with the work habits of Trump’s top economic advisers, such as Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and his top representatives during their various efforts to economic relief from COVID-19.
During the past year of the pandemic, Trump’s top employees also worked remotely, although the emphasis was on being in the office as much as possible. When the Trump administration pushed for its various pandemic economic relief bills, it was “all practical,” according to a senior Trump adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mnuchin and his senior economic team worked 24 hours a day and personally at the White House and at Treasury headquarters during the negotiations, said that person.
Mnuchin, who turned 58 in December and was Trump’s reference man in the negotiations, can also be seen wandering the halls of the Capitol building wearing a mask while he and his team met in person with key participants in the debate, including the Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added the person.
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Mnuchin confirmed to FOX Business his practical approach during negotiations over pandemic legislation last year.
There were “a limited number of people who entered the US Treasury during the operation to prepare and enforce the legislation,” he said in a text message. “We set up temperature checks and follow the guidelines for social distance.”