Hatch Announces New Finance Committee Majority Staff Director

WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today announced that that Dr. Jeff Wrase will take on a new role as the majority’s staff director. After seven years with the Finance Committee, current staff director Jay Khosla will be departing the committee.

Khosla joined the Finance Committee in 2011 as Chief Health Counsel and in 2013 took on the role of Policy Director. He was elevated to Staff Director in 2017 and led the passage of the generational tax reform law. Khosla has helped to drive and implement a broad legislative agenda at the committee ranging from taxes to international trade and entitlement programs.

“While Jay has been an invaluable advisor and leader on the Finance Committee and will be sorely missed, I couldn’t be more delighted that Jeff will step in to take the helm,” Hatch said. “As the committee continues to build on the success of tax reform – a major legislative victory in which Jeff played a pivotal role – his deep-rooted economics background, experience on a myriad of policy issues and steady leadership will be critical to keeping up our swift pace of legislating, advancing nominees and finding effective pro-growth solutions to some of the current challenges facing Washington today."

Wrase previously served as deputy staff director and was a senior member of the committee staff as the committee’s chief economist since 2011. He worked on a number of issues including tax reform, trade, budget issues and Social Security. Before joining the committee, Wrase worked as chief economist for the Senate Banking Committee, Senate Budget Committee, House Budget Committee, and Joint Economic Committee. He has a Ph.D. in economics from Brown University and has taught macroeconomics, monetary theory, quantitative methods, and finance at several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. In addition to serving as staff director, Wrase will also continue his role as chief economist.

Wrase will lead Hatch’s senior team, which also includes Policy Director Becky Cole, Chief Tax Counsel Jennifer Acuña, Chief Trade Counsel Shane Warren, Health Policy Director Jennifer Kuskowski, Chief Oversight Counsel Chris Armstrong, Communications Director Julia Lawless and Deputy Communications Director Katie Niederee.

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