White House budget chief Rob Portman has resigned after holding office for little more than a year to spend more time with his family, a senior administration official said Tuesday. Portman was appointed to be one of President George W. Bush's top number-crunchers in April 2006 following a staff re-shuffle.
He previously served as the US trade representative (USTR) before his White House appointment. The official, who requested anonymity, said Bush would announce Jim Nussle as his new nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) later Tuesday.
As OMB director, Portman grappled with a US budget deficit that had surged under Bush's presidency, mainly due to multi-billion-dollar tax cuts and a vast expansion of federal spending following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Portman, a former lawyer, held public office as a congressman before being picked by Bush to head the USTR. He is a close ally of the president, having served as Bush's sparring partner in mock campaign debates before the 2004 election.
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