UCLA professor named chief economist of White House budget office 

The Biden administration has appointed UCLA economics professor Wesley Yin as chief economist of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

He will lead the department’s Office of Economic Policy, where he will be tasked with helping to formulate the president’s budget and work on issues ranging from national tax policy to health care and social insurance, climate policy, labor and student loans.

Yin’s academic research focuses on economic inequality, health care and household finance, and he previously served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers and as deputy assistant secretary of economic policy at the U.S. Treasury Department during the Obama administration.

During his government service, Yin will be on leave from his roles as economics professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Commenting on the appointment, Yin said: “There’s the saying, ‘Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget — and I’ll tell you what you value.’” He added: “This saying resonates with me, and now more than ever at OMB.”