WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Asha Armstrong, a young Indian American, has been hired as a cloakroom assistant, who among other things alerts lawmakers when votes are coming up, for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “I am happy to share that I am the new House Democratic Cloakroom Assistant for the Office of the Democratic Leader,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Armstrong, who previously was a scheduler and legislative aide for Rep Jerry Nadler (D-NY), then chairman, House Judiciary Committee added that she’s “grateful” for her time in Nadler’s office and is “looking forward to taking this next step.”
The cloakrooms are off the House and Senate chambers’ floor, providing members “the ability to converse, relax, discuss legislative strategy, or prepare for Floor business,” according to the House Democratic Cloakroom website.
Each party has its own cloakroom. The duties of cloakroom attendants include “alerting lawmakers when votes are coming up, telling them whether the chamber will be open on a snow day and working with pages to deliver messages,” according to a media report.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Armstrong began her Washington career as an intern in the Washington, DC office of Indian American Rep Ami Bera (D-CA). Before working for Rep. Naddler, she also interned with Rep John Garamendi (D-CA). Prior to that, she worked as an intern in California with the state’s Democratic Party and the state Senate, as well as with the legal department of Molina Healthcare. A Political Science and Government student at American University, she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega and Member of Pi Sigma Alpha, National Political Science Honor Society.
A Minor in Communications + Concentration in American Government, Armstrong also studied abroad in Madrid, Spain from August 2019 – December 2019, focusing on the history and current climate of Mediterranean politics.
She was also co-creator and head of Cleats for Feats, a non-profit organization targeting low-income adolescents participating in sporting activities offered through nonprofit organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento.