Press Releases
December 9, 2008
CONRAD MEETS WITH OMB DIRECTOR NOMINEE ORSZAG
Senate Budget Committee to Move Quickly on Confirmation, Senator Says
Washington, DC - Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) met in his Capitol Hill office today with Peter Orszag, President-elect Obama’s nominee to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). During the meeting, the two discussed the current economic crisis, as well as the long-term budget imbalance facing the nation.
“I had an excellent meeting today with OMB Director Nominee Orszag,” Chairman Conrad said. “I plan to move quickly on his nomination and hope to hold his confirmation hearing in the Budget Committee in early January. It is vital that Dr. Orszag and the rest of the economic team are in place and ready to go soon after President-elect Obama is sworn in.
“Dr. Orszag fully understands the tremendous near-term and long-term economic and budget challenges confronting us. I emphasized to him that while our first priority must be to quickly jumpstart our economy, we also must address the long-term build-up of federal debt. And I told him that the economic recovery package to be considered in January should be linked to a bipartisan commitment to begin addressing our long-term fiscal imbalance.”
Two years ago, Chairman Conrad selected Dr. Orszag to be Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). On November 25, President-elect Obama announced that he would be nominating Dr. Orszag to lead the OMB. The Senate Budget Committee and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee have joint jurisdiction over the confirmation of the OMB Director.
