Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs

United States Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs
Incumbent George Cook [1] Acting   since September 1, 2025
Appointer	The president with Senate advice and consent
Constituting instrument	15 U.S.C.   § 1503a
Formation	June 16, 1982
Website	Official website

The Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, or OUSEA, is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Commerce that serves as the principal adviser to the United States Secretary of Commerce on economic analysis.

The under secretary is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve at the pleasure of the president. In October 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Jed Kolko to be under secretary. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 7, 2022, and sworn in on April 19. ^{[2] [3] [4]} Kolko resigned in February 2024 and was succeeded by acting under secretary Oliver Wise. ^[5]

Overview

As the principal element of the Commerce Department for economic affairs, the under secretary provides timely economic analysis and disseminates national economic indicators. The under secretary serves as the department's representative to the president's Council of Economic Advisers, interagency panels on economic issues, and other government agencies concerned with economic matters. The under secretary's principal responsibilities include: economic forecasting, consultation with the private sector on economic and broad economic sectoral developments, and policy analysis and development in the areas of economic policy.

The under secretary oversees the United States Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. These two statistical agencies gather, calculate, and disseminate much demographic, social and economic data including reports on the nation's gross domestic product, retail sales, personal income, housing starts, inventory levels and international trade. ^[6]

With the rank of under secretary, the USC(EA) is a Level III position within the Executive Schedule. Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $165,300.

History

The position was created by an Act of Congress on June 16, 1982. ^[7] The under secretary for economic affairs is fourth in the line of succession for secretary of commerce. ^[8]

List of officeholders

Name	Assumed office	Left office	Appointed by
Robert G. Dederick [9]	1982	1983	Ronald Reagan
Sidney L. Jones [10] [11]	October 3, 1983	November 1985
Cynthia Glassman [12]	October 5, 2006	January 20, 2009	George W. Bush
Rebecca Blank [13]	June 9, 2009	March 29, 2012	Barack Obama
Mark Doms [14]	January 3, 2013	September 18, 2015
Justin Antonipillai [15] (Acting)	January 2016	December 2016
Brad Burke [16] (Acting)	December 2016	August 2, 2017
Karen Dunn Kelley	August 2, 2017	November 18, 2018	Donald Trump
Brian C. Moyer (Acting)	November 18, 2018	March 2020
Jed Kolko	April 19, 2022	February 2, 2024	Joe Biden
Oliver Wise (Acting)	February 2, 2024	August 30, 2025
George Cook (Acting)	September 1, 2025	Incumbent	Donald Trump

Reporting officials

Officials reporting to the under secretary include:

• Chief Economist
• Director, Bureau of the Census
• Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis

References

1. https://www.commerce.gov/about/leadership/george-cook
2. "PN1221 - Nomination of Jed David Kolko for Department of Commerce, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". Congress.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
3. "PN1538 - Nomination of Jed David Kolko for Department of Commerce, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". Congress.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
4. Raimondo, Gina [@SecRaimondo] (April 19, 2022). "Jed Kolko is an accomplished economist with the ability to transform data into research that is both accessible & actionable" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-04-25– via Twitter.
5. @JedKolko (February 1, 2024). "Personal jobs report! Tomorrow is my last day at @CommerceGov. I am so grateful to @POTUS and @SecRaimondo for the chance to serve as Under Secretary for Economic Affairs. My colleagues at Team OUSEA,@uscensusbureau, and @BEA_News inspired me every day. Thank you!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
6. "Under Secretary - Economics and Statistics Administration". Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
7. "US CODE: Title 15,1503a. Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs" . Retrieved September 22, 2007.
8. "Executive Order on Succession at the Department of Commerce" . Retrieved September 22, 2007.
9. "Robert Dederick, undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs, dies at 86". Chicago Tribune .
10. "Sidney L. Jones Papers". Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum . Retrieved Sep 23, 2014.
11. Farnsworth, Clyde H. (1984-01-29). "COMMERCE'S NEW ECONOMIST: SIDNEY JONES; THE MAN BEHIND ALL THOSE NUMBERS". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-12-12.
12. Pan, Jock (2010). The United States Outer Executive Departments.
13. "Dr. Rebecca Blank Sworn In as Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Top Advisor to Secretary Locke | Department of Commerce". 2010-2014.commerce.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
14. "Dr. Mark Doms" . Retrieved September 12, 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
15. "Justin Antonipillai" . Retrieved September 12, 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
16. "Brad Burke" . Retrieved June 12, 2017.^{[ permanent dead link ]}