U.S. infrastructure chief to step down

WASHINGTON — White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu is leaving his post after two years and is expected to help push publicly for President Joe Biden’s reelection.

The Democratic president tasked the former New Orleans mayor with setting up a system to invest more than $1 trillion over the coming years on roads, bridges, sewer systems, fiber-optic cable, ports and an array of other projects tied to the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

Landrieu, departing his post with more than 40,000 projects announced, would have been limited in his ability to advocate for Biden as a federal employee.

Going forward, the infrastructure team will be led by deputy White House chief of staff Natalie Quillian.

Biden said he knew Landrieu, who helped rebuild New Orleans after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, was “the man to help me rebuild the country.”

Landrieu, who also plans to work in the private sector promoting clean energy, logged more than 119,000 miles as he worked with governors, mayors and other officials on accessing the money, venturing into areas where few Democrats go and introducing himself at rural antique stores and in coal towns.

Landrieu, 63, is among the Biden loyalists who could one day aspire to the Oval Office.

Before the 2020 election, Landrieu was mentioned as a possible Democratic challenger to Republican Donald Trump.

Under Landrieu’s watch, 6,100 federal employees have been hired to help distribute infrastructure funds. He’s expressed some worry about the fate of projects that can take a decade or more to complete if a Republican administration takes power and wants to cut spending.