White House’s top economic adviser to leave

President Joe Biden said Thursday that Brian Deese will step down as director of the National Economic Council. Since taking the job in 2020, Deese worked on Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package, the climate and prescription drug package, and other bipartisan measures.

Why is Deese stepping down? In a tweet Thursday, Deese called the job an unspeakable privilege but didn’t say why he was leaving. However, the move is not surprising—the media first reported in November that Deese was planning to step down. In a statement on Thursday, President Biden said Deese helped manifest his economic vision. The White House has yet to announce who will become the next top economist. Deese’s departure is the second change to Biden’s team roughly halfway through his presidential term. One week ago, Jeff Zients was named the new White House chief of staff.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report ​​on how the debt ceiling debate only focuses on short-term fixes.