doi:10.7916/dhzh-ak04Oral history interview with Christina D. Romer, 2020Romer, Christinaoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesGlobal Financial Crisis, 2008-2009--United StatesHealth care reform--United StatesUnemployment--Effect of monetary policy onUnemployment--Mathematical modelsUnemployment--Effect of inflation onWomen economistsBailouts (Government policy)--United StatesBudget deficits--United StatesRomer, ChristinaObama, BarackCouncil of Economic Advisers (U.S.)United StatesAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009Christina Romer discusses her service in the Obama presidential transition and as chair of the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2010. Romer focuses on the events of the 2008 financial crisis, with particular emphasis on CEA's contribution to debates surrounding the scale and activities of prospective fiscal stimulus programs. Romer describes the development and reception of the report she authored with Jared Bernstein, "The Job Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," which forecasted the unemployment trajectory that would result from various stimulus options. Romer provides details about important decisions of the period, including financial stabilization efforts, support for the American auto industry, mortgage refinancing, and connections between health care reform and the economic recovery. Also discussed are the administration's concerns about the size of the federal budget deficit, Republican and Tea Party opposition to fiscal stimulus, the division between economic and political counsel in the Obama White House, and the role of women in economics and public policy