- 12/26/10 09:40 AM ET
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Sunday tamped down expectations of a major staff shuffle in the Obama administration next year.
Reports have indicated that key advisers, such as David Axelrod and deputy chief of staff Jim Messina, will leave the White House early next year. But Gibbs said that observers should not expect "big changes" on the cabinet level.
"I don't expect quite honestly big changes. I think we have had a very capable and good cabinet that has helped move the president's agenda forward," Gibbs said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "I think we have a very talented team."
After Obama took a self-described "shellacking" during the November midterm elections and with his 2012 reelection campaign fast approaching, many anticipated that a significant staff shuffle would take place.
The New York Times reported this week that Obama is expected to change his economic team beginning with appointing a new director of the National Economic Council (NEC) to replace the outgoing Larry Summers.
Gene Sperling, a Treasury official, and Robert Altman, a Wall Street banker and former Clinton administration official, are among the finalists for the job, according to the Times.
Gibbs did not shine any light on the identity of the next NEC director, but he said that a new one will likely be in place during "the first week or two weeks after Congress comes back into session."
Reports have also indicated that Defense Secretary Robert Gates could leave next year, but Gibbs said that at least two other cabinet secretaries, Treasury chief Timothy Geithner and health secretary Kathleen Sebelius could be sticking around.
"I think there's obviously a lot that has to be done at Treasury to implement financial reform, at HHS to implement healthcare reform," he said.
Looking forward to next year, Gibbs said the White House is looking to Republicans for more cooperation since they now share responsibility for governing, acknowledging he saw signs of progress during the lame-duck session of Congress.
"They understand that, to a certain degree, they have had, over the past few weeks in this lame-duck session -- and they're definitely going to have on Jan. 5, responsibility for running half of Congress," he said. "They can't afford any longer to just simply sit and say no. They have to be part of a constructive conversation."
Reports have indicated that key advisers, such as David Axelrod and deputy chief of staff Jim Messina, will leave the White House early next year. But Gibbs said that observers should not expect "big changes" on the cabinet level.
"I don't expect quite honestly big changes. I think we have had a very capable and good cabinet that has helped move the president's agenda forward," Gibbs said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "I think we have a very talented team."
After Obama took a self-described "shellacking" during the November midterm elections and with his 2012 reelection campaign fast approaching, many anticipated that a significant staff shuffle would take place.
The New York Times reported this week that Obama is expected to change his economic team beginning with appointing a new director of the National Economic Council (NEC) to replace the outgoing Larry Summers.
Gene Sperling, a Treasury official, and Robert Altman, a Wall Street banker and former Clinton administration official, are among the finalists for the job, according to the Times.
Gibbs did not shine any light on the identity of the next NEC director, but he said that a new one will likely be in place during "the first week or two weeks after Congress comes back into session."
Reports have also indicated that Defense Secretary Robert Gates could leave next year, but Gibbs said that at least two other cabinet secretaries, Treasury chief Timothy Geithner and health secretary Kathleen Sebelius could be sticking around.
"I think there's obviously a lot that has to be done at Treasury to implement financial reform, at HHS to implement healthcare reform," he said.
Looking forward to next year, Gibbs said the White House is looking to Republicans for more cooperation since they now share responsibility for governing, acknowledging he saw signs of progress during the lame-duck session of Congress.
"They understand that, to a certain degree, they have had, over the past few weeks in this lame-duck session -- and they're definitely going to have on Jan. 5, responsibility for running half of Congress," he said. "They can't afford any longer to just simply sit and say no. They have to be part of a constructive conversation."
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