Joseph J. Minarik is the Senior Vice President and Director of Research at CED. Dr. Minarik leads policy research projects on CED’s agenda, including; economy and the federal budget; globalization; trade; early childhood education; campaign finance reform; and digital copyright.
From 1981 to 1986, Dr. Minarik worked closely with Congressional Democrats, including Senator Bill Bradley, on efforts to reform the Federal income tax. Dr. Minarik published Making Tax Choices (Urban Institute Press, 1985) and many articles on this issue, testified before the Congress on numerous occasions, served on the faculty of the two retreats of the House Ways & Means Committee, and worked informally with policymakers on the evolution of the legislation.
In 1991 and 1992, Dr. Minarik served as Executive Director for Policy and Chief Economist of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, for then-Chairman Leon E. Panetta. When Chairman Panetta was nominated as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 1993, Dr. Minarik became OMB’s Associate Director for Economic Policy, and worked on the formulation and adoption of President Bill Clinton’s 1993 economic program. When the Federal budget became a leading issue in 1995 and 1996, Dr. Minarik worked with then-Chief of Staff Panetta and new OMB Director Alice M. Rivlin in the formulation of the Administration’s program to eliminate the budget deficit, which evolved into the bipartisan balanced budget agreement of 1997.
Dr. Minarik joined CED in January 2005 from his position as Policy Director and Chief Economist for the House Budget Committee.
Dr. Minarik received three graduate degrees in economics from Yale University, earning his Ph.D. in 1974. He received his B.A. in economics from Georgetown University in 1971.
Joe and his wife Eileen live in Reston, VA.