President Biden’s Cabinet members have decided to stay for his full term after White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told them they needed to decide by the end of summer.
Five administration officials told NBC News that some members contemplated leaving, but they ultimately decided to stick it out until Mr. Biden’s end of term.
“There’s more work to do to finish the job, and this Cabinet is committed to getting it done,” Mr. Zients said, adding that the team is “low-ego, driven to deliver for the American people and accountable to making progress for communities across the country.”
Only one out of 15 Cabinet members has left to take a different job. Former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh left for a job at the NHL Players’s Association. Julie Su has been the acting secretary since her nomination stalled in the Senate.
According to the Brookings Institution, Mr. Biden’s Cabinet turnover rate is 7% after just over two and a half years in office.
The turnover rate for Biden’s senior-level administration is higher at 58%.
“All presidents experience turnover amongst their most senior staff— the pressure, demanding hours and opportunities in the private sector make it difficult for presidents to retain even the most loyal of aides,” Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, who compiled the data for Brookings, told NBC News.
“President Biden’s turnover amongst the Cabinet (only those positions in the line of presidential succession) is the lowest going back to President Reagan.”
Senior officials also said they hope that the stability seen in the Cabinet is something that could be projected as strength heading into the 2024 election, noting that the Biden administration’s turnover rate is much lower than under former President Donald Trump. Brookings found that Mr. Trump’s senior-level officials had a turnover rate of 92% by the time he left office in January 2021.
Mr. Biden has not seen the same stability among potential voters. A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that roughly 70% of Democrats view Mr. Biden as too old to effectively remain in office beyond 2024.
Another poll from the Wall Street Journal showed that most voters disapproved of how Mr. Biden was handling key issues, including 63% who strongly disapproved of his handling of inflation and the borders. A majority of 59% disapproved of his handling of the economy and 55% disapproved of his handling of China.