Biden's climate ambassador David Kieve, who is husband of communications director Kate Bedingfield, RESIGNS from the White House
- David Kieve, a longtime Biden climate aide who worked on the 2020 presidential campaign, is leaving the administration
- He's married to the White House communications director Kate Bedingfield
- Reasons for departure is unclear
- Another senior climate aide left last week
- Biden's climate agenda in flux after Joe Manchin killed Build Back Better bill
David Kieve, a longtime Biden climate aide who worked on the 2020 presidential campaign, is leaving the administration
President Joe Biden is losing a longtime environmental aide, one who worked on his presidential campaign and is married to one of his top advisers.
David Kieve, the public engagement director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, will exit the administration next week.
The reasons for his departure were unclear.
He's married to the White House communications director Kate Bedingfield. And he worked on outreach to environmental and climate change groups during Biden's 2020 campaign.
Kieve joins a few other senior administration officials heading for the exit, coming as Biden nears one year in office.
Another top environmental official, Cecilia Martinez, who oversaw environmental justice at CEQ, stepped down last week.
David Kieve is married to the White House communications director Kate Bedingfield - the couple is seen above with Biden and one of their children
In November, White House communications chief of staff Emma Riley announced she was leaving for the Labor Department. White House staff secretary Jessica Hertz resigned in October.
White House counselor Steve Ricchetti told NBC News that Kieve had worked 'tirelessly' for Biden since the early part of the presidential primary.
'His advocacy and work on climate issues has made him an important ambassador for the president to the climate community, rallying their support behind our ambitious agenda to tackle the climate crisis, the existential threat of our time,' Ricchetti said in a statement.
Kieve's resignation comes at a critical moment during President Biden's climate agenda.
The president's Build Back Better social safety net will held several provisions to fight climate change but its fate is in doubt after Democratic Senator Joe Machin said he couldn't support it in its current form.
Talks are continuing between Manchin and the White House but it's unclear how the final package will look. The White House has said it toned down some of its climate provisions at Manchin's request but he could ask for more as negotiations move forward.
Biden has stated the public goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent by 2030.
Kieve and Bedingfield married in January 2013. They have two children.
White House staff secretary Jessica Hertz resigned in October.
In November, White House communications chief of staff Emma Riley announced she was leaving for the Labor Department
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There is expected to be some exodus at the White House in the next few months as the president hits the one-year mark in his administration. White House press secretary Jen Psaki originally said she envisioned her tenure lasting one year although she later clarified she would stay longer as needed.
In contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris has lost seven top aides since her disastrous southern border trip on June 25. The exodus also came amid reports the vice president is a 'bully' who facilitates a toxic work environment and that there are tensions between the president's staff and Harris'.
Harris' director of press operations Peter Velz left last week for a position at the State Department.
His announcement came the day after fellow staffer Vince Evans confirmed his departure from the vice president's office to replace Kyle Anderson as executive director with the Congressional Black Caucus.
At the end of December, Harris' chief spokesperson Symone Sanders left her post. On Monday MSNBC announced she would join their network to anchor a weekend show.
Her exit followed the departure of Ashley Etienne, Harris' former communications director, who left in November.
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