WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday he had selected Brian Deese, who helped lead President Barack Obama’s efforts to bail out the automotive industry during the 2009 financial crisis, to head the National Economic Council (NEC).
“I’m asking Brian Deese to do this job because he’s someone who looks at hard problems and finds solutions that help make life better for American families,” Biden said in a video posted by his transition team. “He’ll be the first (NEC director) who is a true expert on climate policy.”
Deese worked on a number of knotty problems during the Obama administration, including the administration’s bailout of the U.S. auto industry, budget deals with Congress, and international climate change talks that culminated in a Paris deal to fight global warming.
He failed at one task: trying to identify a Supreme Court pick who Republicans would vote for, despite their vows not to confirm any judge at all.
Deese also served as the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and the National Economic Council. He is the head of sustainable investing at $7.4 trillion asset giant BlackRock Inc, which is shedding some coal investments but is also a major investor in fossil fuel companies.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; writing by Tim Ahmann; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
