BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Furman: Obama's Wise Choice
We commend President Obama for nominating Jason Furman as the next Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. We know Jason’s work well — from his tenure in the White House National Economic Council under both Presidents Clinton and Obama to his two years as a Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in 2005-2006.
Furman’s work is characterized by several traits: (1) his insistence on rigorous analysis that looks evenhandedly at all research and evidence in examining economic, fiscal, and other issues; (2) his in-depth knowledge of federal programs and policies and their effects on families and individuals that’s unusual for someone who conducts the type of economics work described above; (3) his creativity in developing ideas for new and better ways to address longstanding policy problems and new policy challenges; and (4) his quiet but deep commitment to making ours a fairer society, especially for people who are at the bottom, on the margins, or otherwise facing what FDR called the “vicissitudes of life.”
For those interested in Furman’s work, here are just a few examples of the high-quality analyses that he produced during his years at CBPP.
Social Security Facts: Top Ten Facts on Social Security’s 70th Anniversary
