White House defends ethics waivers for ex-union officials, says they are 'in the interest of governing'

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The White House is defending ethics waivers for ex-union officials, saying they are "in the interest of governing."

The Biden administration has come under scrutiny from Republicans on Capitol Hill after its decision to circumvent federal ethics rules to staff former union officials in senior posts.

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Beginning in early March, the White House waived certain rules for former labor union personnel to fill Biden’s transition teams and government vacancies, who would have otherwise been prevented from communicating with their old unions.

A so-called ethics waiver lifts constraints imposed on members of the executive branch to work with previous colleagues or clients who might benefit from their closeness to White House authority.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the waivers during Monday's news briefing.

"I will reiterate ... the president signed an executive order requiring all appointees across the federal government to sign the most stringent ethics code ever adopted by any White House," Psaki said.

Psaki elaborated, saying that when it is "necessary and in the public’s interest," the order "authorizes agencies to grant limited waivers and consultation" with the White House counsel’s office.

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"The president of course, has stood strong for unions throughout his career, and he’s proud to have leading labor voices in the White House," Psaki continued. "And there are circumstances, very, very limited, where it is in the interest of governing and the interest of getting work done for the American people to issue these waivers."

Senior official in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Alethea Predeoux, was granted a waiver to allow her to facilitate communication between the government agency and the American Federation of Government Employees – a union representing 700,000 federal workers for whom she was formally a top lobbyist, Axios first reported.

In April, the White House issued a similar waiver, allowing for Celeste Drake, who was tapped to lead the White House Made In America Office, to communicate with her former employers, the Director’s Guild of America and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

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The administration has said these are necessary moves to facilitate liaisons between government agencies and labor unions.

But in a statement to Fox News on Saturday, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Katharine Cooksey said, "The pattern of corruption between Democrats and big union bosses is obvious – just follow the money and follow the staff."