It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state, county (or county-equivalent), local, and tribal governments.

[1][2] The office focuses on building new and maintaining current relationships with governors, tribal leaders, mayors, state legislators, and county executives.

[1] The Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office for the Biden administration was Julie Chavez Rodriguez[3] until she resigned on May 16, 2023 to become Biden's Campaign Manager for his 2024 reelection bid.

The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs was established in 1955 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he appointed former Arizona Governor John Howard Pyle as Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs.

The appointment followed the recommendations of the Kestnbaum Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, which had been established by Congress to study problems in the interactions between federal and state governments.