The Pulse
Meta Adds Democratic and Trump-Linked Staff Ahead of Midterms
Meta has added four Washington veterans with Democratic and Trump administration ties as it seeks to expand its relationships on both sides of Congress. The hires come as the company faces bipartisan scrutiny over AI policy and data-center
AI.info Team · Written with AI · fact-checked ·
Four Washington veterans with ties to Democrats and the Trump administration have recently joined Meta as the company broadens its outreach ahead of the midterms. The hiring push, led by Meta president and vice chairman Dina Powell McCormick, is meant to deepen the company’s relationships with Democrats while preserving its standing with Republicans, Axios reports. The effort puts AI policy and data-center investment at the center of Meta’s political work.
Four hires span Democratic and Trump circles
Michael Hacker, a longtime aide to House Democratic power broker Jim Clyburn, joined as vice president of compute initiatives. Nick Schmit, a former top aide to Biden Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, is Meta’s director of strategic partnership management. Both bring Democratic ties to a team that is also adding veterans from Republican administrations and campaigns.
Josh Raffel, who worked with Powell McCormick during the first Trump administration, also joined as vice president of compute initiatives. Pat Trueman, a former senior official on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, joined Meta’s U.S. policy operation. Meta did not comment to Axios on the new hires.
AI talks turn to data-center investment
In August, Mark Zuckerberg and Powell McCormick met with the Democratic House Commission on Artificial Intelligence and the Innovation Economy at the invitation of Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat. The executives discussed Meta’s AI strategy, infrastructure expansion and economic investment plans with Gottheimer and fellow Democratic co-chairs Ted Lieu of California and Valerie Foushee of North Carolina. Gottheimer told Axios the meeting was “incredibly productive” as lawmakers work on a legislative framework for AI.
The commission also wanted to hear about local effects of Meta’s data centers, including its project in Louisiana. Last month, Powell McCormick and other Meta executives met Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, and Democrats Mitch Landrieu and Mary Landrieu at a bipartisan dinner about the investment. Meta’s Richland Parish project announcement says the expansion represents more than $50 billion in regional investment, with more than 7,500 jobs at peak construction and 1,000 roles once the site is operating.
Local programs make the case for expansion
Meta is also presenting infrastructure spending as an investment in host communities. Axios reports that the company is backing the $1 billion Future Is for Everyone Fund, which is intended to support places affected by its expansion, as well as America’s Workforce Academy. Meta describes the academy as a skilled-trades training program; its program page says it has an initial investment of $115 million and guarantees graduates a job.
The local pitch gives Meta a way to discuss AI infrastructure beyond the technology itself: construction work, training and community funding. The company is expanding data centers in states including Texas, Indiana and Oregon, and wants those projects treated as investments that can attract support across party lines. Whether those commitments satisfy lawmakers concerned about the effects of large-scale infrastructure is not settled by the hiring push.
Joel Kaplan’s departure adds pressure to the transition
The staffing changes also come as Meta prepares for the departure of Joel Kaplan, its chief global affairs officer, who plans to leave next year after more than 15 years as Zuckerberg’s leading Washington adviser. Axios reported that Kaplan will stay through the midterms and into 2027 during a transition involving executives from both parties. Powell McCormick recently added external affairs to her responsibilities.
Meta has also elevated Brian Rice, a former aide to Democratic Secretary of State John Kerry, to lead U.S. government affairs, while Tucker Bounds, a veteran of John McCain’s presidential campaign, became head of global communications. The new recruits join that existing bench as scrutiny of AI and data centers crosses party lines. The remaining test is whether the company’s outreach produces specific policy support—and what lawmakers will ask Meta to change in return.