Partisan by Design: Yale Budget Lab is an Obama-Biden Policy Machine Run by Liberal Staff

Highlights:

• The Budget Lab at Yale University launched in 2024 as a “nonpartisan policy research center,” but a review of the organization shows that it functions as a think tank for liberal policymakers.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he’s disappointed by Yale pushing liberal policy priorities through the Budget Lab, noting that it is overwhelmingly staffed by alumni of the Obama and Biden administrations.
• The Budget Lab has received funding from well-known liberal foundations, such as Arnold Ventures, the Ford Foundation, and the Heising-Simons Foundation.

The Yale Budget Lab is frequently cited by the mainstream media as a nonpartisan organization providing research on government policies. Outlets ranging from The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, and CNBC, as well as Democratic elected officials like Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley, have all described the center as “nonpartisan.” 

In an interview last year, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Budget Lab is “not nonpartisan” and “mostly staffed by Biden and Democratic alumni” pushing a “particular point of view” under the Yale name, which makes him “sad” as an alum:

“I will point out that the Yale Budget Lab is mostly staffed by Biden and Democratic alumni, so they have a particular point of view. It is not nonpartisan. Unfortunately, it’s my alma mater, which makes me sad.”

Here are the facts:

The Budget Lab’s Three Co-Founders Are All Obama-Biden Alumni

The Budget Lab’s three original co-founders, who all still remain at the center, include President Natasha Sarin, Chief Economist Danny Yagan, and Executive Director Martha Gimbel. All three individuals were high-ranking officials within the Obama and Biden administrations. 

• President Natasha Sarin was both Counselor for Tax Policy and Implementation (2021-2022), and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the Treasury Department under Biden (2021-2022). Most of Sarin’s donor history is to Biden’s 2020 campaign.
• Chief Economist Danny Yagan served as the Chief Economist for OMB during the same period under Biden (2021-2022). Most of Yagan’s donor history is to Biden’s 2020 campaign.
• Executive Director Martha Gimbel worked as a Staff Economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) during the Obama administration (2014–2016) and was a Senior Adviser during the Biden administration (2021-2023). As recently as last October, Gimbel was donating to Democratic campaigns. 

Half Of The Budget Lab’s Staff Come From The Obama And BIden Administrations

Of the 18 publicly listed staff employed by the Budget Lab, including Sarin, Yagan, and Gimbel, 9 have direct ties back to the Obama and Biden administrations. 

• Associate Director Harris Eppsteiner was Research Economist for Obama’s CEA (2014-2016).
• Associate Director Abhi Gupta worked as an economist at OMB under Biden (2024-2025).
• Josh Iselin served as a Staff Economist for Biden’s CEA (2022-2023).
• Director of Research Ryan Nunn was a Senior Economist on Biden’s CEA (2024-2025) and also worked at Treasury under Obama (2012-2016).
• Director of Policy Analysis Richard Prisinzano spent 13 years at Treasury during both Obama terms.
• Nonresident Senior Fellow Ernie Tedeschi acted as Biden’s Chief Economist on the CEA (2023-2024), having previously served as a Senior Advisor and Economist at Treasury under Obama (2012-2023).

Several Budget Lab Advisory Board members played lead roles in Obama and Biden administration economic policy:

• Jason Furman chaired Obama’s CEA Advisers (2013-2017) and held senior National Economic Council roles throughout the Obama years.
• Jesse Rothstein served as Chief Economist at the Department of Labor and Senior Economist on Obama’s CEA.
• Cecilia Elena Rouse chaired Biden’s CEA (2021-2023) and was a member of Obama’s CEA (2009-2011).
• Heidi Shierholz served as Chief Economist at the Department of Labor under Obama (2014-2017).

The Budget Lab’s Funders Are Leading Liberal Donors

The Budget Lab discloses that it receives funding from a range of foundations dedicated to advancing liberal policy priorities:

• Arnold Ventures was founded by liberal dark money entrepreneurs Laura and John Arnold.
• The California Community Foundation is a liberal group that most recently was a top donor to California’s Proposition 50, which gerrymandered the state’s Congressional map.
• The Ford Foundation is currently being investigated by Senator Chuck Grassley for reportedly providing “nearly $10 million to the Chinese government to further the Belt and Road Initiative.”
• Heisig-Simons Foundation co-founder Liz Simons is a top supporter of New York’s Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
• NEO Philanthropy has been described as one of the left’s “best-kept” dark money funding passthroughs.
• Pivotal Ventures was founded by Melinda French Gates, who has reportedly “reinvented herself … as an ascendant Democratic megadonor” who gave some $13 million to the 2024 Kamala Harris presidential campaign.

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