This Trump Appointee Could Bring Fiscal Sanity to the White House
The fate of President Donald Trump’s ambitious economic policy plans will be determined by the people he appoints to critical positions. With a debt of over $36 trillion (heading toward $59 trillion in 2035 by some estimates), inflation not resolved, an entitlement crisis looming, and the need to extend the president’s 2017 tax cuts, we’d better hope the cooler, more experienced heads prevail.
As it happens, Kevin Hassett, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and later a senior adviser to the president during Trump’s first administration, has been appointed to lead the National Economic Council. Clearly one of the economists Trump trusts most, Hassett might just be the person capable of charting a fiscally responsible path through challenging circumstances.
“Personnel is policy” is not just a platitude; it’s a fact that’s shaped past administrations. Key advisers have long played leading roles crafting monumental economic policies.
It’s a long list that includes Arthur Laffer, whose theories on tax cuts and supply-side economics fundamentally reshaped fiscal policy and spurred growth during the Reagan years. Ezekiel Emanuel has been called the architect of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, with long-lasting impacts on U.S. health care.
Hassett could play an equally significant role. Take the debate about extending Trump’s tax cuts. Letting them all expire isn’t really an option, but tax cuts are expensive. How to pay is crucial. Unfortunately, in
Article from Reason.com
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