Benjamin Harris

• Pandemic-program role: Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy from November 15, 2021 to March 30, 2023.
• Institution · office: Treasury · Office of Economic Policy · Type: political (PAS)
• Tenure (relief-relevant): Sworn in Nov 15, 2021 – departed Mar 30, 2023

The job (role mechanics)

• Level / appointment: PAS, Senate-confirmed. Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy = Executive Schedule IV.
• Reports to: Secretary of the Treasury (Janet Yellen); the Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy is a direct adviser to the Secretary.
• Core responsibility: Treasury describes the Office of Economic Policy as "responsible for analyzing and reporting on current and prospective economic developments in the U.S. and world economies and assisting in the determination of appropriate economic policies."
• Pay: Executive Schedule Level IV (5 U.S.C. 5315).
• Expectations / mandate: The Assistant Secretary "reports directly to the Secretary of the Treasury" and is responsible for "the review and analysis of both domestic and international economic issues and developments in the financial markets."
• Tenure norm: Serves at the pleasure of the President (political). Treasury lists his tenure as November 15, 2021 to March 30, 2023.

Who they are

Benjamin H. ("Ben") Harris is an American economist who specializes in tax, retirement-security, and macroeconomic policy. His Brookings biography says that in 2020 the New York Times dubbed him the "Quiet Architect of Biden's Plan to Rescue the Economy."

Education

• Ph.D., Economics, George Washington University.
• M.A., Economics, Cornell University.
• M.A., Quantitative Methods (Statistics), Columbia University.
• B.A., Tufts University.

Career before

• Chief Economist and Chief Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden (2014–2017).
• Policy Director of The Hamilton Project and a Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution; Deputy Director of the Retirement Security Project.
• Executive Director of the Kellogg Public-Private Initiative and research associate professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management (pre-2021).
• Economic adviser to the 2020 Biden campaign and a lead on the 2020 Biden–Harris transition's economic team.

Role in the pandemic relief programs

• Harris took office on November 15, 2021. His predecessor as Assistant Secretary was Michael Faulkender, who served from August 1, 2019 to January 20, 2021.

Career after / where they are now

• Brookings announced Harris as Vice President and Director of Economic Studies, starting August 14, 2023.
• Received the Alexander Hamilton Award from Secretary Yellen for his Treasury service.

Sources held in this archive

Original source documents and archived captures

• Treasury Office of Economic Policy
• White House intent-to-nominate Mar 11, 2021, via Northwestern Now
• Brookings appointment announcement VP/Director, Economic Studies, 2023
• Brookings profile
• OPM Executive Schedule pay rates

Sources (first-party)

• Treasury bio: Treasury bio (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
• Treasury Office of Economic Policy: Treasury Office of Economic Policy (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
• Senate Roll Call Vote #457, 117th Cong. (confirmation, 78–21, Nov 3, 2021): Vote 117 1 00457 Htm 953edfaabe19d1ac (original: senate.gov · stored capture)
• Nomination PN413, 117th Cong.: Nomination PN413, 117th Cong (original: congress.gov · stored capture)
• White House intent-to-nominate (Mar 11, 2021), via Northwestern Now: White House intent-to-nominate Mar 11, 2021, via Northwestern Now (original: news.northwestern.edu · stored capture)
• Brookings appointment announcement (VP/Director, Economic Studies, 2023): Brookings appointment announcement VP/Director, Economic Studies, 2023 (original: brookings.edu · stored capture)
• Brookings profile: Brookings profile (original: brookings.edu · stored capture)
• OPM Executive Schedule pay rates: OPM Executive Schedule pay rates (original: opm.gov · stored capture)