“Peter Orszag” on The Daily Caller

There is one word being mentioned by business leaders and economists more frequently when the conversation turns to why jobs are not returning more quickly to the U.S. economy: uncertainty. (more)

The joys of summer are upon us, foremost among them the approaching Congressional recess in a mere month. As Mark Twain might have put it: Freedom is spelled “Congress out of session”. It is a grim truth that enormous damage still could be done in this remaining time, but the forthcoming departure for home districts and states offers hope that the mischief will be limited and that the elections this fall will restore some measure of sanity to federal policymaking. (more)

White House Budget Director Peter Orszag announced Tuesday he’ll step down next month, becoming the first high-profile member of President Obama’s team to leave the administration. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House Budget Director Peter Orszag says he’s stepping down next month, positioning him to be the first high-profile member of President Barack Obama’s team to depart the administration. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lukewarm endorsement from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and opposition among some lawmakers cast doubt Tuesday on whether Congress this week would lift a 17-year-old ban on gays serving openly in the military. (more)

April 22 (Bloomberg) — White House Budget Director Peter Orszag was poised to become the first member of Barack Obama’s Cabinet to leave, as early as this summer. Then came an appeal from the president insisting that he reconsider. (more)

The head of the largest union representing federal workers has added his voice to those questioning the the White House’s soon-to-be-unveiled High Road contracting policy. The president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, recently questioned the wisdom of using the procurement process as a tool of social policy, a blow for the proposal’s supporters in the organized labor movement. (more)

Democratic lawmakers seemingly confirmed this week that the White House is planning to roll out its “High Road” contracting policy in the near future. The proposal would seek to leverage federal contracting to change labor and wage standards for private sector companies bidding on federal contracts. (more)

Frustrated by the administration’s refusal to brief them on the topic, a group of Republican senators are demanding more details on a White House proposal that would overhaul the way the government awards contracts. (more)

Joe Biden was tapped as vice president with the role of attack dog in mind. That was one of the less explosive revelations from Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s book “Game Change.” As the nation will recall, the then-senator took his duty in an ironic direction. Yes, he was an attack dog of sorts, but the only leg he sank his teeth into was that of his running mate. (more)

Multiple sources say the White House could unveil its new ‘High Road’ contracting policy as early as this month in response to the recent spate of media reports. The proposal would leverage federal contracting to raise wages and support unionized companies, a significant shift from the government’s longstanding emphasis on obtaining best value for the taxpayer. (more)

The White House has acknowledged that it is considering a proposal that would significantly alter the way it awards federal contracts, but said the discussions are in early stages and that no immediate policy changes are forthcoming. (more)

President Obama wants to work with Republicans on health care reform. “I am going to be starting from scratch,” he says, “in the sense that I will be open to any ideas that help promote” controlling health care costs and making health insurance more widely available. (more)

President Obama has been talking tough on deficit reduction, but many left-leaning pundits and economists warn that such rhetoric will prolong the economic slump. MSNBC host Rachel Maddow warned that Obama’s proposed partial spending freeze was Herbert Hoover’s strategy, while Budget Director Peter Orszag cautioned that FDR’s attempt in 1937 to rein in the deficit prolonged the Great Depression. These warnings may also help prolong the economic slump because they are based on faulty history. (more)

Last Friday, Feb. 5,  was not a good day for those who believe in small government, banning earmarks, balanced budgets and the Republican Party. In fact, it was a very bad day for all three. (more)

Republicans are up in arms over a pro-union contracting policy currently under consideration by the White House, arguing the measures will significantly increase the cost of government contracts and are part of the Obama administration’s efforts to implement policies that favor organized labor while circumventing Congress. (more)

The Obama administration is considering a proposal that would heavily favor government contractors that implement policies designed by organized labor. (more)

President Obama on Wednesday rolled out a dizzying set of accusations against the Republican party that veered toward contradicting one another, as he encouraged Senate Democrats to keep fighting for his agenda. (more)

Republicans accused President Obama on Tuesday of taking a step toward using the $700 billion Wall Street bailout as a slush fund, a possibility many worried about when the Troubled Asset Relief Program was first created during the economic panic of 2008. (more)

White House Budget Director Peter Orszag didn’t exactly sound bullish about the prospects for health care reform when asked Monday how its passage, or non passage, would factor into the federal budget deficit. (more)