Jason Furman

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Jason Furman

New Keynesian economics
Birth	c. 1970 (age 38–39)
Nationality	United States
Field	Macroeconomics, Economic policy
Influences	Joseph Stiglitz, Robert Rubin

Jason Furman (born 1970) is an economist and influential policy intellectual. On January 28, 2009, Furman was named Deputy Director of the National Economic Council in the administration of President Barack Obama, whom he'd been advising since the latter stages of the 2008 presidential campaign. Although he generally works with Democrats, he is reported by the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call to be widely respected by Republicans, as well.^[1][2]

Furman's research and policy focus includes the subjects of taxes, health care and the U.S. Social Security program. Furman's qualified defense of Wal-Mart's business model provoked criticism from some labor organizations when he joined Obama's 2008 campaign. But notable liberals defended Furman, praising his staunch defense of Social Security, his criticism of inequality, and advocacy of universal health insurance.^[3]

In 1996, while he was a graduate student at Harvard, Furman was hired by economist Joseph Stiglitz to serve for a one-year stint as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy in the Clinton Administration and on staff of the Council of Economic Advisers. He later worked with Stiglitz at the World Bank. Furman was involved in varying degrees with the Presidential campaigns of Al Gore and General Wesley Clark. In 2004, he took a position as Director of Economic Policy for the John Kerry Presidential campaign in 2004.

Furman received his MSc from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. Also at Harvard, Furman earned a bachelor's in social studies and a master's in government. He has worked together with former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.

In recent years, Furman has worked as a budget expert at the Brookings Institution. There, he directed the Hamilton Project, an economic policy research group that develops policy proposals to achieve shared economic growth.^[4]

He was a Visiting Scholar at New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.^[5] He has been a visiting lecturer at Columbia and Yale Universities.

Furman is often parodied on the Glenn Beck Program as Obama advisor "Honkey Whitesville," a recurring call-in guest portrayed by Steve Burguiere.

He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Eve Gerber, and their two children, Henry and Louisa.

[edit] References

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v • d • e Obama Administration personnel v • d • e Cabinet and cabinet-level Office Name Term Office Name Term Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 2009– Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner 2009– Secretary of Defense Robert Gates† 2009– Attorney General Eric Holder 2009– Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 2009– Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack 2009– Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke 2009– Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis 2009– Secretary of Health and   Human Services Kathleen Sebelius 2009– Secretary of Education Secretary of Transportation Arne Duncan Ray LaHood 2009– 2009– Secretary of Housing and Urban   Development Shaun Donovan 2009– Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki 2009– Secretary of Energy Steven Chu 2009– Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano 2009– Vice President Joe Biden 2009– White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 2009– Director of the Office of Management and   Budget Peter Orszag 2009– Administrator of the Environmental   Protection Agency Lisa Jackson 2009– Ambassador to the United Nations Trade Representative Susan Rice Ron Kirk 2009– 2009– Chair of the Council of Economic   Advisers Christina Romer 2009– †Remained from previous administration. Below solid line: Granted Cabinet rank although not automatically part of the Cabinet. See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet v • d • e Executive Office of the President Office Name Term Office Name Term White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 2009– National Security Advisor Jim Jones 2009– White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Mona Sutphen 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon 2009– White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Jim Messina 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan Douglas Lute† 2009– Senior Advisor to the President David Axelrod 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes 2009– Senior Advisor to the President Peter Rouse 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security John O. Brennan 2009– Senior Advisor to the President and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement Valerie Jarrett 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor and NSC Chief of Staff White House Communications Director Denis McDonough Dan Pfeiffer 2009- 2009- Director of Public Engagement Christina Tchen 2009– Deputy White House Communications Director Jennifer Psaki 2009– Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz 2009– White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs 2009– Director, National Economic Council Lawrence Summers 2009– Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton 2009– Deputy Director, National Economic Council Diana Farrell 2009– Deputy Press Secretary – Deputy Director, National Economic Council Jason Furman 2009– Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest 2009– Chair of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker 2009– Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau 2009– Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Christina Romer 2009– White House Counsel Robert Bauer 2009– Member of the Council of Economic Advisors and Staff Director of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board Austan Goolsbee 2009– Deputy White House Counsel Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Phil Schiliro 2009– Member of the Council of Economic Advisors Cecilia Rouse 2009– Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Lisa Konwinski 2009– Director, Office of Management and Budget Peter R. 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Thomas McLellan* 2009– White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers 2009– Director, Office of Urban Affairs Policy Adolfo Carrión, Jr. 2009– Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren 2009– *Senate-confirmation pending.   †Remained from previous administration(s). v • d • e Office of the Vice President Position Appointee Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Vice President Ron Klain Chief of Staff to the Second Lady Catherine Russell Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President Moe Vela Counselor to the Vice President Mike Donilon Domestic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Terrell McSweeny Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison Evan Ryan Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Jared Bernstein Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications Jay Carney Press Secretary to the Vice President Elizabeth Alexander Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President Alan Hoffman Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President Annie Tomasini Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President Brian McKeon Director of Legislative Affairs Sudafi Henry Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Second Lady Carlos Elizondo Director of Communications for the Second Lady Courtney O’Donnell