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From the Associated Press: White House senior adviser Gene Sperling is leaving his administration position to work with Vice President Kamala Harris’ election campaign as the Democrats step up efforts to challenge Donald Trump on policy issues in November’s election.
Sperling will be a senior economic adviser to Harris’ policy team. The shift was revealed by White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
Sperling served both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as director of the White House National Economic Council. President Joe Biden Biden tasked him with managing his $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package, a role in which Sperling implemented the temporary expansion of the child tax credit. He was also the White House liaison to the union and car companies during the auto strikes.
The report explains that Sperling and Harris already have a history of working together:
Sperling first worked with Harris when she was California attorney general during his time in the Obama administration. He frequently consulted with her as an outside adviser when she was in the Senate. The two partnered during the Biden presidency on promoting the monthly payments for the child tax credit, among other policies.
The following statement from Joe Biden was posted on the White House website Monday morning:
When I took office, our economy was reeling, a pandemic was raging, and hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the country were at risk of shutting their doors. 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.
Gene joined my administration as the only person to have ever directed the National Economic Council under two presidents, and has helped me execute a rescue plan that has led to one of the most equitable and resilient economic recoveries ever. His work helped nearly 40 million working families get unprecedented child tax cut relief and over 8 million renters get emergency assistance to help keep their families housed. 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.
I also looked to Gene as a trusted advisor on the economy and gave him some of the toughest assignments, including serving as my liaison to the Big 3 automakers and UAW as autoworkers fought for – and secured – record contracts.
Having traveled from Delaware to D.C. every day during my Senate career, I know a thing or two about long commutes. I’m grateful to Gene’s wife Allison, his children Nina and Miles and his godchildren Derick and Samantha for allowing Gene to lend me his wisdom, his counsel, and his friendship. They should know our nation is stronger and more just because of the families that Gene has spent every day fighting for over the past three-and-a-half years.
.@POTUS: @GeneSperling46 is “the only person to have ever directed the National Economic Council under two presidents, and has helped me execute a rescue plan that has led to one of the most equitable and resilient economic recoveries ever.” https://t.co/SgwX5MMUTf
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) August 5, 2024
Senior economics aide Gene Sperling is leaving the White House to work on the Harris campaign, per @joshboak https://t.co/PkwSeG4Qlc
— Chad Day (@ChadSDay) August 5, 2024
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