President-elect Joe Biden is set to name Neera Tanden, who was an adviser to former President Barack Obama, as director of the White House budget office, and economist Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers as soon as Monday, according to a person familiar with the process.
Biden is also set to pick Wally Adeyemo, senior international economic adviser in the Obama administration, to eotk as Janet Yellen's top deputy at the Treasury Department. Economists Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey are expected to be named as members of the Council of Economic Advisers, the person said.
Biden has also picked Brian Deese, another adviser under Obama, to head the White House National Economic Council, the New York Times reported, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. Biden's transition team declined to comment, while Tanden, Rouse, Adeyemo, Bernstein, Boushey, and Deese could not be reached for comment.
The nominations of Tanden, Rouse, and Adeyemo require Senate confirmation. Just like in 2009 with Obama, whom Biden served as vice president, the incoming administration will inherit on Jan. 20 a struggling economy facing serious near-term challenges. But some progressives criticized the selection of Deese, a White House climate official under Obama and currently an executive at BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager. Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, a group that scrutinizes corporate influence in government, said BlackRock's large stake in U.S. policy decisions might put pressure on Deese to recuse himself from some policy matters.
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