The chief of staff for the newly confirmed Secretary of the Interior reportedly was reassigned after planning a celebration that the White House feared could become a COVID-19 "superspreader" event.
Jennifer Van der Heide, who recently planned a 50-person indoor party at the agency to celebrate Deb Haaland's confirmation, will be moved to a senior counselor job at the agency, Politico reported, citing two Biden administration officials.
The Office of Cabinet Affairs ordered the party be canceled due to concerns it could become a "superspreader" event for COVID-19, and because of issues with the optics of holding such an event while the Biden administration is urging Americans to refrain from similar and smaller gatherings during the pandemic.
The party was to be held March 16 in the Interior Department's library until administration officials stepped in just before invitations could be sent out.
Politico said Van der Heide was told before March 8 to stop planning the party, but she continued to seek catering estimates, according to one source.
A Biden administration official told Politico a job switch for Van der Heide had been in the works after she exhibited several displays of questionable judgement since assuming her role Jan. 20. The planned party "was the thing that broke the camel’s back."
Another official said it always had been intended that Van der Heide would move to a different role after setting up the department. A third official said there were other unspecified issues that led to the job switch.
Van der Heide did not respond to a request for comment.
Lawrence Roberts, who headed the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs at the end of the Obama administration, will take over as the new chief of staff, according to a White House spokesperson.
"Jennifer Van der Heide is an invaluable member of the Biden administration and the leadership at the Department of the Interior," spokesperson Vedant Patel said. "She will continue serving the administration and Secretary Haaland as a Senior Counselor within the Department. Larry Roberts, who previously served under President Obama and has extensive knowledge of the Interior Department, will assume the Chief of Staff role."
Roberts, a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, previously worked at the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency. He most recently was special counsel at the law firm Jenner & Block, and a professor of practice and executive director of the Indian Gaming and Tribal Self-Governance Program at Arizona State University's law school.
An Interior Department spokesperson declined to comment.
These types of moves are not uncommon early in an administration as the Presidential Personnel Office tries to make sure that appointees are in roles that best serve their agency, a White House official said.
Van der Heide also came under scrutiny in 2015, when she was chief of staff for former Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif. At the time, the Office of Congressional Ethics said Van der Heide appeared to violate ethical guidelines meant to separate government activities from campaign activities, though the House Ethics Committee did not pursue any action in the matter.
In August 2017, Van der Heide became a senior adviser for Haaland's congressional campaign before becoming the former New Mexico congresswoman's chief of staff.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.