Peter Orszag – Creating Change
Peter Orszag participated with the administration of President Obama as the head of the Obama Office of Management and Budget, due to his experience researching and addressing the current issues that the country faces.
Orszag has famously, and controversially, fought for healthcare reform, as he believes that if the healthcare reform were to take action than the fiscal health of the nation would dramatically increase. Orszag was also in charge of making budget cuts to decrease the deficit. Orszag negotiated with each department, looking for programs and places to slash. After he pinpointed his budget cuts, which were criticized by some in office, President Obama announced that there would be $17 million shaved off the federal budget. Orszag and his team eliminated 121 programs and half of the budget cuts came from the Defense Department. Orszag reduced future purchases of F-22 fighter jets by the Defense Department and also said their production was to end by 2011.
Before Orszag’s position as the 37th Director of the Office of Management and Budget, he also served as an economic advisor for President Bill Clinton and was the 7th Director of the Congressional Budget Office. Needless to say, Orszag has had a lot of experience working within the American government and has contributed his thoughts, though some people consider them debatable, concerning the best ways to improve the economic landscape in America.
Orszag was in charge of a significant amount of the country’s budget while serving under President Obama. Orszag advised the President on public policy and also crafted the annual budget that would be sent to Obama. Besides fighting for a health-care reform, Orszag has also taken a stand on Social Security issues and tax cuts.
Orszag also has had a major association with the Brookings Institution, which he joined in 2001. In 2002 Orszag and one of his fellow Brookings economists released a study stating that larger budget deficits would increase long-term interest rates. Orszag also worked on Social Security reform, which later caught the eye of congress. In 2003 Orszag became a co-founder and the director of the Brookings’ Hamilton Project, which looks for ways for the country’s economy to grow, while considering the broader prosperity for all social classes.