Bob Greenstein joins The Hamilton Project at Brookings

Washington, D.C. – Robert (Bob) Greenstein has been appointed as a Visiting Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he will be affiliated with The Hamilton Project.

“We are grateful to have Bob expand his role as a member of the Hamilton Project team, after being a valued member of our Advisory Council,” said Robert E. Rubin, former US Treasury Secretary and co-founder of The Hamilton Project. “For decades, Bob has served as one of the nation’s most influential and pragmatic voices on the issues that affect the most vulnerable Americans – from SNAP benefits to health coverage and so much more. On a personal level, I have always appreciated Bob’s thoughtful and reasoned approach to problem solving and look forward to continuing our work together.”

Roger Altman, co-founder of The Hamilton Project and a former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, offered his appreciation for Greenstein’s appointment: “All of us associated with The Hamilton Project are most pleased and grateful that Bob, who founded and so ably led the estimable Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for so many years, has now joined Hamilton. Bob is an extraordinary talent who has made remarkable contributions to this country. And, together with Wendy Edelberg and our great staff, this adds a great deal to Hamilton’s capabilities.”

Greenstein joins Brookings after decades of public service and policy leadership. Greenstein was Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Carter. He helped design the landmark Food Stamp Act of 1977, generally regarded as the Carter Administration’s most significant anti-poverty achievement.

Greenstein founded the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and served as its president from its creation in 1981 through the end of 2020. Under Greenstein’s leadership, CBPP has played a central role in designing and securing enactment of key reforms and expansions in the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps), child nutrition programs, the Section 8 housing voucher program, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, among others. He is also a longtime member of The Hamilton Project’s Advisory Council.

“I have viewed Brookings as a paragon since I came to Washington in 1972, and I’ve been very impressed with the work of The Hamilton Project, whose conferences feature a number of the most thought-provoking policy discussions I hear each year. I’m honored to join Brookings and Hamilton,” said Bob Greenstein.

Stephanie Aaronson, Vice President of Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution, also applauded Greenstein’s appointment: “Bob is a pioneer in the use of evidence-based policy research to inform effective public policy. With the historic opportunities our country now has to reform our social safety net, I am excited to have Bob joining The Hamilton Project in their work of crafting policy recommendations to shape a safety net that works for those who need it most.”

“We are excited for Bob to join our team. Given his leadership in working to make U.S. fiscal policy more supportive of strong and shared economic growth, he is primed to make immediate contributions at The Hamilton Project. We have big plans,” said Wendy Edelberg, Director of The Hamilton Project and Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution.

Launched in 2006, The Hamilton Project offers a strategic vision and produces evidenced-based policy proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans. The Project offers proposals rooted in evidence and experience, not doctrine and ideology, and brings those ideas to bear on policy debates in relevant and effective ways. To learn more about The Hamilton Project, please visit www.hamiltonproject.org.