Susan Rice to Step Down as Biden’s Domestic Policy Adviser

Ms. Rice was surprised when she got the nod to be Mr. Biden’s top domestic policy official, said Ron Klain, Mr. Biden’s former chief of staff, who called her during the transition to deliver the news.

“She was like, ‘You know I’m not a domestic policy expert,’” Mr. Klain said. “I said: ‘No, I know that, Susan, but I’ve seen you work in the White House and I know you can handle hard things and get things done.”

Mr. Biden praised Ms. Rice’s work on Monday.

“As the only person to serve as both national security adviser and domestic policy adviser, Susan’s record of public service makes history,” he said in a statement.

The news of Ms. Rice’s departure was first reported by NBC News.

Ms. Rice said one regret was not passing everything in Mr. Biden’s climate and social spending package, including investments in child care and home health aides. She said she was proud of a variety of issues, including addressing mental health: “If we don’t address that adequately, we’re going to have really fundamental problems.”

Multiple officials recalled when Ms. Rice immersed herself in negotiations with law enforcement unions over a police reform executive order after an early draft leaked in January 2022, putting the endorsement of police unions at risk. She made clear she would not budge on mentioning the racial disparities in police killings, multiple officials said. Police unions eventually signed off, pleased that the administration had changed language in a section about the use of lethal force.