Ned Price, the State Department’s spokesman, is stepping down as the public face of US foreign policy.
Price will begin working directly with Secretary of State Antony Blinken later this month, according to the State Department, and will be temporarily replaced by his deputy, Vedant Patel, until a successor is named.
“For people in America and around the world, Ned Price has often been a face and voice of U.S. foreign policy,” Blinken said in a statement. “He’s performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity.”
Price is the Biden administration’s longest-serving federal agency spokeswoman, having begun on Jan. 20, 2021, and outlasted Jen Psaki at the White House podium.
Since day one as Spokesperson, Ned Price has been a voice for U.S. foreign policy, modeled transparency and integrity, and promoted press freedom around the world. Fortunate I’ll be able to continue to rely on him as trusted advisor in his new role. pic.twitter.com/cB0mTTwwNt
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 8, 2023
Former Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, now with the National Security Council, is now dean of the administration’s communications team.
Blinken thanked Price in his remarks for restarting the irregular daily press briefings that had occurred throughout the Trump administration and for having a clear grasp on the administration’s policy aims.
Price, a former CIA and National Security Council official during the Obama administration, resigned from the government in February 2017, saying he couldn’t serve then-President Donald Trump in good conscience because of his criticism of the intelligence community.
“Ned has helped the U.S. government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modeled the transparency and openness we advocate for in other countries,” Blinken said. “His contributions will benefit the department long after his service.”
