Vice President Kamala Harris’s long-time close policy advisor, Isaac “Ike” D. Irby, is set to leave the White House on Wednesday, concluding a significant chapter in a partnership that has profoundly influenced policy during Harris’s tenure as U.S. senator and vice president. Irby will continue engaging in policy work through consulting.
In an interview with The Advocate, Irby, Harris’s deputy domestic policy advisor and chief climate advisor, who joined Harris's senate staff in 2017, reflected on his journey with the vice president, sharing about their collaborative work and the inclusive environment fostered within the White House team.
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“[Since] starting as her climate advisor early in her senate career, we worked to put ideas into legislation like the bipartisan infrastructure law and the inflation reduction act,” Irby said.
Lawrence Jackson, The White House
Among the initiatives Irby, a Colorado native, cited as significant were efforts to tackle clean air and water issues, the nationwide removal of lead pipes, and addressing the Western water crisis—the severe and persistent drought conditions exacerbated by climate change, affecting many parts of the Western United States, characterized by significantly reduced rainfall and snowpack levels, leading to critical shortages in water supplies for residential, agricultural, and environmental uses, severely impacting the region’s ecosystems, agriculture, and overall water security.
In 2021, the Biden-Harris administration revealed its Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan. The comprehensive plan, fueled by investments from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law, prioritizes the removal of lead pipes and service lines, especially in underserved communities. The plan aims to improve public health by eliminating lead exposure and creating job opportunities in plumbing and pipefitting, emphasizing the administration's dedication to addressing a critical public health issue while promoting economic growth.
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One particular project that was most exciting for Irby was the push to electrify the nation’s school buses. In 2022, Harris announced a $1 billion grant program to provide 2,500 clean school buses to communities nationwide.
“It’s much more impactful than people think,” he said due to the scale and the focus on children’s health.
Lawrence Jackson, The White House
Irby explained that while there are 50,000 transit buses in America, 10 times more school buses travel the roads nationwide.
”There are 500,000 school buses, and these are buses that are taking our children, primarily low-income and children of color, to school every day and home every day,” Irby said. “So that’s a lot of students; that’s a lot of vehicles. It’s the largest form of mass transit in America.”
Irby continued, “More people ride the school bus every day than ride the other forms of mass transit, and so the other advantage of tackling school buses is that a lot of them are very old and very polluting. By electrifying them, we’re not only cleaning up the air but also spurring the innovation because yellow school buses are almost only made here in the U.S.”
Irby also discussed the importance of his identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in shaping his approach to policymaking. Irby explained that being his authentic self at work allowed him to better engage with various policy issues.
“It allows me the freedom and opportunity to give my full self to whatever issue I’m working on,” he noted.
Lawrence Jackson, The White House
Harris’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion was repeatedly brought up by Irby. He spoke about Harris’s long history of allyship with the LGBTQ+ community, mentioning that he helped lead some of her LGBTQ+ work. He said the role involved increasing visibility, ensuring policies were inclusive, and intentionally meeting people where they were.
Reflecting on the work environment, Irby expressed deep appreciation for the vice president’s team.
He said that the deep connections that working with a diverse team fosters is one of the aspects of his role with Harris that he will cherish.
Irby aims to continue engaging in policy work as he moves on from his White House role, particularly on forward-looking issues like the climate crisis and artificial intelligence. “I am most interested in working on issues where the past is not a good guide for what we should do in the future,” Irby said.
As Irby, 37, prepares to embark on this next chapter, his departure signifies a significant transition for Harris’s team. His tenure has been marked by a commitment to impactful policymaking, inclusivity, and a deep-seated collaboration with one of the most powerful people in the world.
Lawrence Jackson, The White House
On his time working with Harris, Irby spoke about how she engages people on her team. “I have found it as an evolution of my understanding of how she works and operates as opposed to kind of her changing how she has operated in these spaces,” he said.
Irby also spoke about the importance of representation and inclusivity in policymaking, especially in an administration that is notably pro-LGBTQ+. President Joe Biden and the vice president have a number of senior advisors and other staff who identify as LGBTQ+. As a gay man, Irby shared that this perspective informs his advice on policymaking.
“It’s about making sure that we are building inclusive policies, not just because they are good policies, but because we want to be intentional about making sure our policies are meeting people where they are,” Irby said. “But it also impacts my policymaking beyond just the LGBTQ+ policies because when I am able to show up every day as my whole self and be who I am through and through, it allows me the freedom and opportunity to then give my full self to whatever issue I’m working on. And that ability to never once having had to think twice about talking about my husband [was integral.] “
In the interview, Irby shared a heartwarming personal anecdote highlighting the supportive and inclusive environment fostered by Harris. Irby recalled a memorable instance: “I got to tell the vice president when we got engaged, and actually, on our first wedding anniversary, I was with the vice president in the Philippines, and so I missed my first wedding anniversary with my husband.” However, the moment was rescued and became even more special when Harris realized the day’s significance.
Lawrence Jackson, The White House
“When the vice president realized that, she called me in. She had a FaceTime with my husband, and it was the middle of the night for him, so we left him a video message with me and the vice president, and her saying ’Happy anniversary.’”
Irby added, “It’s moments like those where the openness of the community, the ability within an office in a very stressful situation and very high stakes positions not to have to worry about being yourself allows you to serve the American people so much more.”
Speaking about the future, Irby expressed his intention to continue working on pivotal issues that affect the American people. “As I embark on my next chapter, I am staying in the game. I want to continue in the fights I’ve been in over the past six and a half years,” he said.
In a statement to The Advocate, Harris thanked Irby for his years of service and praised his abilities at a going away event at the White House earlier this month.
“Ike has the ability to tackle the most complex and significant issues of our time with optimism and resolve – particularly when it comes to the climate crisis," Harris said. "I am grateful for Ike’s service and counsel over the last nearly seven years and I know he will continue to have an impact on the people of our country and those around the world."
As Irby reflected on his departure, he considered what he would miss the most about working in the White House.
“I think I will miss the broader team that the vice president has built the most,” Irby said. “This job is so difficult, it is so stressful. Having a team and a coalition behind you that is always there to support, always there to recharge your battery; that closeness and that connected desire of having that community around you at all times is what I will miss the most.”
