Tommy Andrews

Most recently, Tommy served as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. He joined the White House in 2018 after a decade of service in key roles in the US House of Representatives. In the role of Special Assistant, he advised the president and senior administration officials on legislative strategy in the House of Representatives and served as the main conduit between the White House and House. The strong relationships and trust he built with members of Congress and their staffs across the political spectrum helped in executing the successful legislative strategies for winning passage of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), 2017 Tax Reform, 2018 Farm Bill, the creation of the Space Force, a long-term extension of the Export-Import Bank and, most recently, the bipartisan COVID-19 relief measure – the CARES Act and Phases II – IV.

The relationships and strategic thinking that Tommy brought to the White House were developed and cultivated on Capitol Hill, as Director of Member Services for Speaker of the House Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) from 2015 to 2018. In this role, Tommy was the speaker’s liaison to all 435 members of Congress and their staff. Before that, his Capitol Hill career began in 2009 with then House Republican Leader John A. Boehner (R-OH) and continued through Congressman Boehner’s Speakership as Special Assistant to the Speaker and Personal Aide until 2015.

Upon joining the firm, Speaker Boehner made the following remarks about Tommy:

“Tommy Andrews started out in my leadership office a decade ago – a kid from Cincinnati who had an endlessly positive attitude, a tireless work ethic and a real knack for building relationships. When Paul Ryan took over for me as speaker, Tommy became Paul’s member services director – the point person for the speaker’s office in working with members and their senior staffers and taking care of their needs. Tommy was so effective in that job that when Paul retired as speaker, the White House pulled him to be the House liaison for the Office of Legislative Affairs.

It has gotten harder and harder to find people in Congress or the administration who are well liked and respected on both sides of the fence – people who have real relationships with both Democrats and Republicans … the kind of relationships that can only be established by winning someone’s trust.

Our newest colleague is somebody who has been able to win respect from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle despite all of the challenges presented by the current political environment.”

Tommy was recognized by Legal 500 in 2023 as one of our Public Policy Practice Group’s key contributors to the firm’s Tier 1 ranking. One of our current clients remarked, “The individuals that we work with have outstanding experience, business intuition and integrity. Working with Thomas Andrews has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my business career.”

Tommy graduated from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, with a BA in Political Science.