Kevin McCarthy's policy director stepping down
Neil Bradley, the top policy adviser to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), is leaving Capitol Hill after nearly two decades working for GOP lawmakers. Bradley will be replaced by Barrett Karr, who now works as the principal for government affairs at the Carlyle Group. Karr was previously staff director at the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and she served in the White House legislative affairs office for four years under former President George W. Bush. Story Continued Below Bradley, who is highly respected by Republicans on both sides of the Capitol, began working as intern for then-Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) in 1995 while still a freshman at Georgetown University. Bradley took all his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so he could work for Coburn the other three days of the week. Bradley stayed with Coburn through his time at Georgetown, then went to work for former Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.). Shadegg was serving as the chairman of the Conservative Action Team, the forerunner to todayâs influential Republican Study Committee. Bradley stayed with the RSC under former Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) when she ran the group. In 2004, Bradley moved into leadership after being appointed policy director under then-Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). He held the same post under former Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), and then moved to McCarthyâs office following Cantorâs defeat. âFor two decades, Neil Bradley has served the peopleâs House with distinction,â McCarthy said in a statement. âNeilâs rise from part-time intern to senior aide in multiple leadership offices is the product of his unmatched work ethic, integrity and intelligence. For as long Iâve known Neil, Iâve valued his unrelenting enthusiasm for commonsense conservative policy solutions and his dedication to public service.â Bradley recalled once drafting 200 amendments for Coburn to try to derail some spending bills, saying that âwe didnât know we werenât supposed to do that.â In and out of leadership, Bradley has been involved in almost every major policy debate of the past decade-plus, including the 2001 Bush tax cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Medicare Part D expansion, the 2008 TARP program, and budget and spending fights with President Barack Obama. Bradley has not announced his next job yet. In hiring Karr as Bradleyâs replacement, McCarthy is tapping a seasoned Hill and executive-branch veteran. âBarrett already has a distinguished record in public policy having served in multiple senior roles at the White House and on Capitol Hill,â McCarthy said of his new policy director. âI look forward to her contributions to the House Republican Conference and in helping to advance our American Opportunity Agenda.â Originally hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, Karr spent nine years on Capitol Hill working for Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), including four years as Grangerâs top aide. Karr graduated with a bachelorâs degree from Texas Christian University and later received a masterâs in legislative affairs from George Washington University.