Former National Economic Council director Gene Sperling will oversee the implementation of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan, the White House announced Monday.
Sperling, who once led the National Economic Council under both former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, will be tasked with a role similar to Biden’s when he was vice president in 2009 during the financial crisis.
Biden at the time was in charge of initiating the the Obama Recovery Act.
Sperling, according to a senior White House official, will work with the heads of the White House policy councils and key leaders at federal agencies so they can get the bill’s mandated funds out as quickly as possible, and maximize their impact.
The official noted to CNBC that the administration is going to partner with state and local governments on the effort, similar to how Biden implemented the Recovery Act over a decade ago.
Biden signed the coronavirus relief package on Thursday.
As CNBC reported in February, Sperling was being floated to replace Neera Tanden as the administration’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget.