Biden rejigs national economic team, retains Indian-American Ramamurti

US President Joe Biden has reconstituted his national economic team at the White House but has retained Indian-American adviser Bharat Ramamurti who has been with him since day one of his presidency.

Lael Brainard will now serve as Director of the National Economic Council and Jared Bernstein is being nominated as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the White House said Tuesday.

Ramamurti would continue to serve as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and as an Adviser for Strategic Economic Communications, the White House said, reflecting that the president has kept him as part of his core team.

Biden also named Heather Boushey, who currently serves as a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers, to also serve as Chief Economist to the Invest in America Cabinet.

He named Joelle Gamble, who currently serves as Chief Economist at the Department of Labour to be Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, according to a White House statement.

Along with Bharat, Heather, Joelle and other key members of my White House economic team, Lael and Jared will help bring a seriousness of purpose to the task of building a strong, inclusive, and more resilient economy for the future, Biden said in a statement.

Over the past two years, my economic strategy has delivered historical results for the American people. This team will be committed to implementing that strategy while managing the transition of our historic economic recovery to steady and stable growth.

They will work tirelessly to ensure every American enjoys a fair return for their work and an equal chance to get ahead, and that our businesses can thrive and outcompete the rest of the world. Let's finish the job, Biden said.

In December 2020, then as the president-elect, Biden appointed Ramamurti as Deputy Director for the National Economic Council for Financial Reform and Consumer Protection.

Previously he was the Managing Director of the Corporate Power programme at the Roosevelt Institute. In April, he was appointed to serve on the Congressional Oversight Commission for the CARES Act by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Ramamurti was the top economic adviser to Senator Elizabeth Warren during her 2020 presidential campaign and senior counsel for banking and economic policy in her Senate office. Born in Massachusetts, Ramamurti graduated from Harvard College and Yale Law School.