Biden’s top economic adviser Gene Sperling heads from White House to Harris campaign – Times of India



White House senior adviser, Gene Sperling is leaving his current job role to join Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign team as the Democrats intensify their efforts to challenge Donald Trump on policy matters in the upcoming November election.
Sperling will assume the position of senior economic adviser to Harris’ policy team, according to a White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, AP reported.
“Under Gene’s leadership, the American Rescue Plan has delivered economic relief to cities and counties across the country, protected millions of union pensions, made the largest-ever federal investment in public safety, and kept thousands of small businesses afloat,” President Joe Biden said according to a statement released by the White House.
“Having run Recovery Act implementation for President Obama, I knew I needed an American Rescue Plan Coordinator with the expertise and experience to hit the ground running. I’m glad I picked Gene Sperling,” he said.
Sperling has served under two US presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as the director of the White House National Economic Council. Biden had tasked Sperling with overseeing the implementation of his substantial $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package, where Sperling implemented the temporary expansion of the child tax credit.
He also acted as the White House liaison to union and car companies, during a period of labor unrest in the auto industry.
Sperling has a long-standing professional relationship with VP Kamala Harris, their collaboration began when Harris served as California’s attorney general during his time in the Obama administration. He often sought her counsel as an external adviser when she was in the Senate. During the Biden administration, Sperling and Harris joined forces to promote the monthly payments for the child tax credit, among other initiatives.
The tax credits provided during the pandemic had a significant impact on reducing child poverty, benefiting 40 million families and, 8 million households received assistance with their rent payments.
However, the pandemic aid has been criticised by Republicans, who argue that it has contributed to the rise in inflation. This issue has been a persistent challenge for the Biden administration, as many Americans voter said that basic necessities such as food, housing, and gasoline have become less affordable.
The US economy’s resilience has also been called into question following a weaker than expected jobs report last week, which led to a selloff in financial markets on Monday.
Despite the criticism, the White House has asserted that the inflation is a global phenomenon with, the chief of staff, Jeff Zients stating that the efforts led by Sperling: “produced the strongest economy in the world”.
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, a Democrat, praised the work overseen by Sperling, describing it as “generational investments,” and acknowledged his collaboration with states to get the programmes right.





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