White House budget man, Peter Orszag, to step down

Peter Orszag, who heads up the Office of Management and Budget, can be leaving his White House job. Officials close to Orszag have said he would be leaving for a while, but the July date was only recently announced to the public. As director of the White House budget office, Orszag has wielded significant powers within the government. The replacement for Office of Management and Budget head has not yet been announced.Article Source: White House spending budget man, Peter Orszag, to step downHow Orszag controlled the budgetAs head of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter Orszag has held a cabinet-level position. Annually, the OMB writes the budget the White House sends to Congress. The OMB also provides estimates and opinions on legislation, in support of the Congressional Budget Office, upon the request of members of Congress. While in the position of budget head, Peter Orszag championed two major pieces of legislation -- the stimulus bill and health care reform.Peter Orszag's history of serviceIn 1997, Peter Orszag began his first job inside the White House. The first job Orszag held was Special Assistant for Economic Policy. From January 2007 to November 2008, Peter Orszag served as head of the Congressional Budget Office. Orszag also serves as the official OMB blogger.Peter Orszag’s replacement?The possible replacements for Peter Orszag haven’t been announced by the White House. However, political watchers are throwing names around already. Probably, the replacement person will already be working within the White House. Some point to Rob Nabors, who has recently been attending senior staff meetings at the White House and acted as Orszag's right-hand person from '96 to '98. Members of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board and Treasury Secretary counselors have also been named as possible replacements. Whoever the replacement is, President Obama has put significant power within the hands of the director of the OMB, so the budget guru better be somebody up to the task.