According to reports, the Biden administration is creating a position to “find common ground with conservatives” that will be headed by Louisiana Representative Cedric Richmond (D-La.). Part of Richmond’s mandate would be would be “private sector engagement” and to serve as a “conduit straight to the White House” for chief executive officers.
This appointment comes on the heels of a recommendation from R Street Institute President Eli Lehrer. In a piece for Washington Monthly soon after Biden’s victory in November, Lehrer said: “Biden can do a lot to advance his agenda not by picking token Republicans to serve as window dressing in cabinet slots but should, instead, pepper his administration with a few Republican-leaning advisors who want to help him heal a riven nation.”
As small businesses around the country continue to reel from the pandemic, it is a hopeful signal from the Biden administration that they understand the value of the business community in helping America build back better.