The White House budget director Peter Orszag is leaving the administration, a senior US official said on late Monday, in a move that would mark the first departure from US President Barack Obama’s Cabinet.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Mr Orszag would be stepping down in July, following a trying 18 months overseeing Mr Obama’s spending plans.
A spokesman contacted on Monday declined to confirm Mr Orszag’s departure.
“I can’t confirm anything,” said OMB communications director Kenneth Baer.
“Peter is focused on his work, not on Washington speculation,” Mr Baer added. Mr Orszag has headed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) since Mr Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, and has been a pivotal player on the President’s economic team. He has been instrumental in two of Mr Obama’s landmark legislative initiatives: the economic stimulus bill and the historic health care overhaul.
He also was part of the Mr Obama’s inner circle of economic advisors during the economic meltdown as the President took office, which marked the most dire economic crisis since the 1930s, amid widespread market panic and fears of a depression.