March 27, 2017
Just more than two months into President Donald Trump's term, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has finally secured a position in the White House, according to media reports.
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to announce the creation of an office, led by the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, that would integrate successful business practices into government services, according to The Washington Post.
The White House Office of American Innovation's goal is to make the government run more like "a great American company," Kushner told the outlet.
One of the focuses of the proposed office would be to more effectively combat the nation's opioid epidemic. After informal discussions with Kushner, Christie has reportedly been selected to chair the official drug commission tasked with finding possible solutions to the problem.
The Republican governor has put the opioid crisis at the focal point of his last year in office. During his final address to the state's Legislature in January, Christie called drug addiction a disease while calling for state officials to "fight more aggressively" on the issue.
Since then, Christie has declared drug addiction a public health crisis and signed legislation into law limiting the amount of opioids that doctors could prescribe to a five-day supply.
Trump is expected to formally unveil the office and Christie's position later this week.
The role would be considered a "part-time volunteer job" and would not force Christie to resign as governor, according to NJ.com.
Christie is currently serving his final year in office due to term limits. His term ends in January.
After dropping out of the Republican presidential primary, Christie was widely believed to be a lock for a top administration position in Trump's White House. Christie was considered for vice president and attorney general but was ultimately passed over and returned to run the Garden State.
