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Top White House Economist Leaving Amid Recession Linked to Virus

Tomas Philipson, acting chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, will return to the University of Chicago in the fall.

Top White House Economist Leaving Amid Recession Linked to Virus
Tomas Philipson, acting director of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers, speaks during a conference in Washington, D.C., U.S. (Photographer: Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg)

The White House’s top economist is departing his job at the end of June, leaving President Donald Trump’s team shorthanded as it plots a comeback from the coronavirus-induced recession.

Tomas Philipson, who has served as acting chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers since last July, will return to the University of Chicago in the fall, according to White House spokesman Judd Deere. Philipson was a professor of public policy focusing on health economics at the university before joining the CEA in 2017.

The White House did not immediately name a replacement.

Kevin Hassett, the former chairman of the CEA, returned to the White House in March in an unpaid capacity to advise the president as the economy was battered by the closure of businesses around the country due to the pandemic. But Hassett also plans to leave once again this summer for the private sector, according to a White House official.

Philipson kept a low profile at the White House compared to his predecessor, Hassett, who made frequent television appearances to discuss the administration’s economic agenda.

The departures come as the White House is preparing to negotiate with lawmakers over another round of stimulus after businesses closed and dismissed workers due to the virus.

Philipson’s exit was reported earlier by Politico.

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