Diana Furchtgott-Roth (born 1958) is an American economist who is adjunct professor of economics at George Washington University and a columnist. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the United States Department of Transportation during the first Trump administration. She previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.[1][2]

Diana Furchtgott-Roth
Furchtgott-Roth in May 2019
Born1958 (age 65–66)
England, United Kingdom
EducationSwarthmore (B.A)
Oxford University (M.Phil)
OccupationEconomist
SpouseHarold W. Furchtgott-Roth
Children6
Parent(s)Gabriel Roth
Ellen Roth

Prior to joining the Trump Administration, Furchtgott-Roth served as a senior fellow and director of Economics21 at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. She was nominated by President Donald Trump to become Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology. On January 3, 2021, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.[3] Furchtgott-Roth was previously the chief economist of the United States Department of Labor, chief of staff of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, deputy executive director of the United States Domestic Policy Council, and junior staff economist at the Council of Economic Advisers.[4]

A former columnist for MarketWatch and Tax Notes, she has authored seven books.[5]

Early life and education

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Diana Roth was born to Ellen and Gabriel Roth in England in 1958. Her family moved to the United States in 1967.[6] Her father was an economist at the World Bank.[7] They lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland.[8] After receiving a B.A. from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, Roth returned to England, where she earned a M.Phil. in economics from the University of Oxford.[5]

Career

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Furchtgott-Roth was an economist on the staff of President Ronald Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers in 1986–87. From 1991 to 1993, she was deputy executive director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and associate director of the State Department's Office of Policy Planning under President George H. W. Bush. From 1993 to 2001, she was a resident fellow and assistant to the president at the American Enterprise Institute. In 2001–02, Furchtgott-Roth was the chief of staff of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, and from 2003 to 2005, she was chief economist at the United States Department of Labor. From 2005 to 2011, she was a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. As of 2017, Furchtgott-Roth was an adjunct professor at George Washington University. Her book, Disinherited: How Washington Is Betraying America's Young, coauthored with Jared Meyer, received the 2016 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award.[5]

In 2022, she was named Director of New Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at The Heritage Foundation.[9] She authored the chapter "Department of Transportation" for the foundation's ninth edition of the Mandate for Leadership, which provides the policy agenda for Project 2025.[10]

Views

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Furchtgott-Roth argues that a regime of lower taxes and less regulation will increase economic growth. She has argued that raising the minimum wage would reduce the number of jobs available to low-skill workers and teens. She has proposed that the U.S. federal government should pay to complement and back up the Global Positioning System because it is used by millions of Americans and is central to the economy.[11]

Furchtgott-Roth has made contributions to The Federalist Society.[12] On questions of interest rate management as a lever of economic growth, she favors the Taylor rule, a stable rate tied to the rate of GDP.[13]

Personal life

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Furchtgott-Roth is married to Harold W. Furchtgott-Roth and the couple have six children.[6]

Bibliography

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  • Women's Figures: All Illustrated Guide to the Economic Progress of Women in America (1999, second edition, 2012)
  • The Feminist Dilemma: When Success Is Not Enough (2001)
  • Overcoming Barriers to Entrepreneurship in the United States (2008) (editor)
  • How Obama's Gender Policies Undermine America (2010)
  • Regulating to Disaster: How Green Jobs Policies Are Damaging America's Economy (2012)
  • Disinherited: How Washington Is Betraying America's Young (2015) (co-authored with Manhattan Institute fellow Jared Meyer)
  • United States Income, Consumption, Wealth, and Inequality (2020) (editor)

References

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  1. ^ "Diana Furchtgott-Roth". U.S. Department of Transportation. 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  2. ^ Crilly, Rob (9 June 2020). "Trump transport official still waiting for Senate confirmation after nearly three years". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  3. ^ "PN1596 - Nomination of Diana Furchtgott-Roth for Department of Transportation, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  4. ^ Mulero, Eugene (3 October 2017). "White House Nominates Economist for Top Research, Technology Post at DOT". Transport Topics. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Key Additions to his Administration". The White House. 28 September 2017. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Prepared Statement of Ms. Diana E. Furchtgott-Roth". U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 3 October 2002. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Profile: Gabriel Roth", Independent Institute. Accessed 25 December 2022.
  8. ^ "The Right Kind of Economist". Swarthmore College Bulletin. October 2012.
  9. ^ "Heritage Welcomes Diana Furchtgott-Roth as Director of New Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  10. ^ Dans, Paul; Groves, Steven, eds. (2023). Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise (PDF). Washington, D.C.: The Heritage Foundation. ISBN 978-0-89195-174-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  11. ^ Furchtgott-Roth, Diana (19 March 2021). "Opinion | Will We be Ready if GPS Goes Down?". Wall Street Journal.
  12. ^ "Commentary, The Federalist Society". Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  13. ^ "What's Ailing the U.S. Economy; Alan Blinder, Diana Furchtgott-Roth discuss the forces that keep growth from taking off". ProQuest 1797809791.
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