Trump picks Vance's top aide James Braid as director of legislative affairs

US President-elect Donald Trump has named James Braid, a top aide to running mate JD Vance, as the next director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, which is a key role between Congress and the White House.

During Trump’s first term, Braid worked in legislative affairs at the Office of Management and Budget, and since them he has served as the lead policy staffer for Vance in the US Senate.

Braid has also worked as policy director for the House Freedom Caucus, a group of some of the most conservative Republicans in the lower chamber.

He has also served as chief of staff for multiple members of Congress, and since 2015, he has worked on several other senior policy roles on Capitol Hill.

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For Trump, Braid is expected to be an instrumental figure in pushing his agenda on Capitol Hill, where Republicans in Congress are set to have narrow majorities in both chambers.

On Monday, Trump also named Matt Brasseaux as director of the Office of Political Affairs. Brasseaux, a Republican National Committee staffer, has helped lead Trump’s campaign efforts in Arizona and Nevada.

The Trump’s transition team, on Monday also named Alex Latcham, who helped steer Trump’s endorsements and directed outreach to Republican congressional electoral committees, to run the Office of Political Liaison.

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The team will play a crucial role in Trump’s efforts to secure a major tax bill extending and expanding the cuts he passed during his first term and that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025.

They are also expected play a key role in helping advance key tariffs that Trump can’t implement unilaterally and confirming the president-elect’s Cabinet and judicial picks.

With inputs from agencies.