Brian Deese, Biden’s top economic adviser, to leave White House

Washington – Brian Deese, President Biden’s top economic adviser, is leaving the White House, the presidential team’s latest significant mid-term departure.

The announcement of Deese’s departure comes a day after the departure of the White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who was replaced by former COVID-19 czar Jeff Zients. Deese has served as director of the National Economic Council since Mr Biden took office and was due to step down sometime this year. According to a White House official, Deese’s final day is expected to be in mid-February.

In a statement, Mr. Biden called Deese “critical” to the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and instrumental in passing significant legislation, including America’s bailout plan and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

“When I took office, we were faced with high unemployment, an economic crisis and major roads closed across the country,” Biden said in a statement. “I knew that not only did we need to get families back to work and reopen businesses, but we also needed to rebuild our economy so no one was left behind. For the last two years I have relied on Brian Deese to help me with this. Brian has a unique ability to translate complex policy challenges into concrete actions that improve Americans’ lives. He has helped turn my economic vision into reality and managed the transition from our historic economic recovery to steady and stable growth.”

It’s not uncommon for White House officials to resign after about two years in an administration, often for more lucrative jobs in the private sector. It’s not yet clear who will replace Deese or where he will go next.

Deese’s departure comes ahead of Mr Biden’s State of the Union address and he is trying to reach an agreement with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raising the debt limit. The two had their first meeting on Wednesday, which McCarthy described as “good.”

During Deese’s tenure and Mr Biden’s first two years in office, the pandemic eased and unemployment fell and the economy has grown. But the Biden administration has also been criticized for high inflation, which is falling but continues to weigh on American budgets.