Path to Power
Aronson was born in the Bronx in 1979 and grew up in Queens, N.Y. She went to George Washington University, graduating with a bachelor’s in political science in 2001.
“Whereas most staffers work on the Hill first and then jump to the consultant and lobbying world, Aronson went the other way,” Politico reported in a profile of Aronson.
After college, Aronson stayed in Washington to join Ginsberg Lahey, a Democratic consulting firm. She dug into Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s (R-N.C.) record at the Red Cross and Department of Transportation as part of Erskine Bowles’ (D-N.C.) unsuccessful 2002 run against her.
In 2003, she moved onto Jennings Policy Strategies, a health-care policy and lobbying firm run by Chris Jennings, a former senior health-care adviser to Bill Clinton. Her main project at the firm, according to Jennings himself, involved working with “multiple stakeholders who had differential visions” as Congress added prescription drug coverage to Medicare. “Anyone who can survive me generally thrives up on the Hill,” Jennings told Politico.
Indeed, after three years at Jennings, Aronson moved on to Capitol Hill in April 2005 to work for Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.). After only a few weeks at McCarthy’s office, Aronson got an offer to work for Emanuel. She began working for him in July 2005. “Rahm is — you know Rahm’s reputation — Rahm is the best coach you can have,” Aronson told Politico. “You may have to do suicide drills at six in the morning, but you’re a better staffer for it.”
At the time, Emanuel served as the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, making Aronson the health policy staffer for the caucus. As a result, Aronson had to balance Emanuel’s interests with those of the House Democratic leadership and with the interests of the chairmen of committees with jurisdiction over health care, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), then-chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, and Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) chairman of the House Ways and Means panel.
During her time as Emanuel’s health policy staffer, the committees wanted to pass a comprehensive health policy bill, including Medicare reform as well as an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 was divided at the request of the Senate, creating a bill focused only on expanding SCHIP: The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007.
President George W. Bush vetoed the bill in October 2007. He vetoed a revised version of the bill in December, saying it was not significantly different from the first bill. The Bush signed the SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 into law on December 29, 2007. Under the law SCHIP continued in essentially the same form until 2009, when newly-elected President Obama expanded SCHIP.
In November 2008, then-President-elect Obama asked Aronson’s boss Emanuel to be his White House chief of staff. Aronson won a spot on Obama’s transition team as a member of the health care policy working group led by former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).
Obama nominated Daschle to a dual role as Health and Human Services Secretary and head of the newly-created White House Office of Health Reform. Aronson looked poised for a plum role under Daschle.
But Daschle's nomination was derailed over tax problems, and his jobs were divided between Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius at HHS and former Clinton aide Nancy-Ann DeParle in the White House shop. Aronson became policy director under DeParle in April 2009.
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