Obama Nominates Orthodox Jew To Run OMB
President Obama nominated Jacob Lew, an Orthodox Jew, as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Lew, who held the top OMB post under President Clinton, is a deputy secretary of state for management and resources. He would succeed Peter Orszag, who also is Jewish.
His current position parallels within the State Department the OMB mission of prioritizing government spending.
“As the budget director who left the next administration a $237 billion surplus when he worked for President Clinton, I have no doubt that Jack has proven himself equal to this extraordinary task,” Obama said Tuesday in announcing the nomination, which as a Cabinet-level position must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Lew reportedly has clashed with his counterpart at the State Department, James Steinberg, who is also a deputy secretary.
Orszag reportedly is leaving to facilitate his move to New York, the home of his fiancee, ABC News reporter Bianna Golodryga.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!