Brian Deese discusses his contribution to the economic policy of both terms of the Obama presidency, in which he served in a variety of roles, including: special assistant for economic policy to the president, deputy director of the National Economic Council, deputy and acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, and senior advisor to the president. Deese outlines the organization of ec onomic expertise in the Obama administration, and provides details about major economic policy debates and initiatives with which we was closely involved, including those surrounding the size and composition of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the administration's decision to provide support to General Motors and Chrysler, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the design and implementation of the administration's programs to provide mortgage relief and prevent home foreclosures (the Home Affordable Modification Program and Home Affordable Refinance Program). Also discussed are congressional fiscal negotiations, the support for clean energy technologies in the Recovery Act, and the challenges of communicating with the American public about complex economic policy issues
Presidents--United States; Economic policy--United States; Bailouts (Government policy)--United States; Clean energy investment--United States; Deese, Brian; Obama, Barack; National Economic Council (U.S.); Home Affordable Modification Program (U.S.); Home Affordable Refinance Program (U.S.); United States. Office of Management and Budget; United States; United States. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
103 pages
Note (Biographical)
Brian Deese served in a number of roles in the Obama White House. Between 2009 and 2015, he served as special assistant for economic policy to President Obama following the 2008 financial crisis; deputy director of the National Economic Council; and d eputy and acting director of the Office of Management and Budget. From 2015 to 2017, Deese served as a senior advisor to the president. From 2021 to 2023, Deese served as director of the National Economic Council in the Biden administration. Prior to his government service, Deese held fellowships and research positions at think tanks including the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Center for Global Development, and the Center for American Progress
Note
Interviewed by Dov Weinryb Grohsgal on May 13 and August 6, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Brian Deese, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023