Key White House Aide Departs As Biden Restructures Economic Team

Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the Treasury Department, Ben Harris, one of President Biden’s closest economic advisors, has left the Treasury Department after four years in Biden's inner circle.

• Bloomberg reports that Harris, "helped develop many of the White House’s key policies, including the Russian oil price cap in response to the invasion of Ukraine, the foundations of the Build Back Better legislative package, and the economic response to the recession caused by the pandemic."
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement: “Ben has been one of my closest advisers across some of our department’s most pressing issues — from helping us recover from a deep economic downturn, to advancing an ambitious domestic investment agenda and implementing a price cap on Russian energy exports."
• In recent weeks, the White House economic team has seen Brian Deese replaced by former Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard as director of the National Economic Council and the departure of senior advisor Cecilia Rouse as Biden seeks a sharper economic edge to his team ahead of an expected 2024 re-election bid.