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the best strategic thinking of the President’s top advisers. History shows that an

unsupervised NSC staff can stray from its statutory role and adversely affect a President and his policies. Moreover, while the NSC should be fully incorporated into

the White House, it should also be allowed to do its job without the impediment

of dually hatted staff that report to other offices. For instance, the NSC needs its

own counsel to inform what legal options can be provided to the President. The

White House Counsel should be part of that policy process as the President’s top

legal adviser. These recommendations provide a clear road map for rapidly sizing

and solidifying the NSC staff to support and achieve the President’s objectives

beginning on Inauguration Day.

NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL (NEC)

The National Economic Council is one of the policy councils serving the President along with the NSC and the Domestic Policy Council (DPC). The Director serves as principal adviser to the President on domestic and international economic policy and communicates the President’s economic message to the media. The Deputy Director is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the council, which includes chairing the committee that coordinates economic policy development at the Deputy Secretary level. In effect, the Director and Deputy Director are the officials who are primarily responsible for the development of economic policymaking for the Administration. Once a policy is adopted, it is the appropriate agency’s responsibility to implement it. The NEC’s policy process is also used to determine whether the President should support or oppose legislation passed by Congress.

In addition to its leadership, the NEC has policy experts (for example, Special Assistants to the President or SAPs) who are responsible for developing and coordinating, as well as advising the President, on specific issues. It is essential that the policy expertise of the NEC reflect the current environment’s most pressing issues. Today, this would include (among other topics) taxes, energy and environment, technology, infrastructure, health care, financial services, workforce, agriculture, antitrust and competition policy, and retirement programs. NEC’s SAPs should have a working knowledge of how the Administration can implement policy through the rulemaking process, although it is not necessary that they be experts on regulation themselves, particularly given OMB’s role. This will facilitate the NEC’s effectiveness in coordinating Administration policy.

The NEC needs to work closely with other offices within the Executive Office of the President to promote innovation by the private sector and create an environment that will stimulate economic activity while reducing federal spending and debt. This includes working with the DPC, NSC, OMB, Council of Economic Advisers, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of Cabinet Affairs, White House Counsel, Council on Environmental Quality, Office of Legislative Affairs,