Milestones

RESIGNED

Only 18 months into the new Administration, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag became the first Obama Cabinet member to announce plans to resign. One of the principal architects of Obama’s $862 billion stimulus package and the $940 billion health care reform bill, Orszag, 41, gained a small popular following as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel once remarked that Orszag “made nerdy sexy,” and the economist inspired a fan website orszagasm.com with the tagline “Putting the OMG back into the OMB.” Orszag reportedly timed his departure to allow his replacement to be installed before the next budget cycle. Orszag’s exit is not anomalous for his position: former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush each had four OMB directors, who served an average of 23 months. In December, Orszag announced his engagement to ABC News financial reporter and anchor Bianna Golodryga; the couple plan to marry in September.