Oral history interview with Lisa M. Konwinski, 2021
Abstract
Lisa Konwinski discusses working as a litigator for House members and then as general counsel for the Senate Budget Committee from 1997 to 2008, where she gained expertise on the reconciliation process, before becoming deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs in 2009. Konwinski discusses the Recovery Act, including her advisory role on the legislati on, acting as liaison between the White House and Congress, messaging about the economy, and building a coalition to ensure the act would pass. She describes the development of the Affordable Care Act and how it was able to pass. Konwinski delves into the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: its creation in 2010, early successes and importance, main priorities, consumer response piece, and public-facing events. Also discussed are the 2009 Fiscal Responsibility Summit on the deficit, which resulted in the Simpson-Bowles Commission; Konwinski's participation on the Deputies Committee and relationships with other deputies; the impact of the shift in power in Congress after Obama's first two years; and increased partisanship in politics
Presidents--United States; Partisanship--United States; Konwinski, Lisa; Obama, Barack; United States. White House Office; United States. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; United States. Congress; United States; United States. National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
40 pages
Note (Biographical)
Lisa Konwinski joined the Obama administration in 2009 as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs. In 2011, she moved to the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she was th e director of the Office of Legislative Affairs within the external affairs division. In 2013, she became the deputy associate director for external affairs at the CFPB, where she served through 2016. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Konwinski was general counsel for the Senate Budget Committee from 1997 to 2008
Note
Interviewed by Nicole R. Hemmer on December 14, 2021. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Lisa M. Konwinski, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022