Jeff Stein

Washington, D.C.

White House economics reporter

Education: Cornell University, BA in history

Jeff Stein is the White House economics reporter for The Washington Post. Since joining The Washington Post in November 2017, he has covered the Republican tax law; the government shutdown; and the administration's economic response to the coronavirus, among other topics. In 2014, he founded the local news nonprofit the Ithaca Voice in Upstate New York. The Ithaca Voice has a full-time staff of reporters and remains the best publication in the city.
Latest from Jeff Stein

Trump’s economic team is surprisingly conventional. Will it limit tariffs?

President-elect Donald Trump’s economic team is led by conventional experts, who may moderate his trade policy.

November 27, 2024
Kevin Hassett, then chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, speaks as President Donald Trump listens in 2018. President-elect Trump announced Tuesday that he picked Hassett to be director of the White House National Economic Council in his second term.

Trump picks Kevin Hassett to lead White House economics team

The president-elect vowed dramatic tariff hikes on Monday night but has tapped traditional conservatives for his most important economic positions.

November 26, 2024
Kevin Hassett, then chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, talks to reporters on April 11, 2019. President-elect Donald Trump named Hassett the director of the White House National Economic Council on Tuesday.

Trump team eyes funding showdown with ‘sanctuary cities’ over immigration

Allies of the president-elect discuss pulling funding from Chicago; mayor says the city is “not intimidated” by threats.

November 26, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office during a meeting with President Joe Biden on Nov. 13, 2024.

Musk and Ramaswamy race to build a ‘DOGE’ team for war with Washington

The Tesla executive and the former presidential candidate are meeting with staff and interviewing experts as they plan for massive federal cuts.

November 24, 2024
Elon Musk attends the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 14.

Trump selects budget chief to 'dismantle the Deep State’

The president-elect selected the author of a chapter of Project 2025 for a senior administration posting.

November 22, 2024
President Donald Trump listens in 2019 as Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, speaks at the White House.

Trump picks Scott Bessent, financier who embraced MAGA, for Treasury

Scott Bessent, who prevailed after an intense lobbying effort by his allies, emerged over the past year as a trusted Trump adviser.

November 22, 2024
Scott Bessent, shown in July 2018, was chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management.

Musk, Ramaswamy vow ‘mass head-count reductions’ in U.S. government

The leaders of President-elect Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” outlined their efforts in a new Wall Street Journal editorial.

November 20, 2024
Elon Musk with President-elect Donald Trump at a SpaceX launch on Tuesday in Brownsville, Texas

Trump selects Howard Lutnick, Wall Street CEO, as commerce secretary

The chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald would be the Trump administration’s top economic policy official if confirmed.

November 19, 2024
Howard Lutnick, chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald, speaks at a bitcoin conference in Nashville in July.

Musk’s ‘DOGE’ commission eyes new app for Americans to file taxes

The leaders of the “DOGE” commission are eyeing an idea pushed by President Joe Biden.

November 19, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk watch a fight during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday.

Trump allies eye overhauling Medicaid, food stamps in tax legislation

As Republican leaders look for ways to offset the costs of a new set of tax cuts, social safety net programs are under discussion.

November 18, 2024
Donald Trump during an election night party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.