What Happened?

President Donald J. Trump announced on Monday his senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, would head a new department named The White House Office of American Innovation.

The White House Office of American Innovation

Trump unveiled his plan for the new department on Monday that will be primarily responsible for an overhaul of the federal bureaucracy, which according to Trump, aims to keep America at the forefront of innovation specifically in regards to technology, infrastructure and creating new jobs. The new department will tackle many of his campaign promises such as repairing the veteran care system, opioid addiction, as well as renovating roads and public spaces.

According to Kushner, the innovation office will focus on technology and data to combat issues, by analyzing data collected through surveys and questionnaires to prioritize the things Americans said they need the most to improve their daily quality of life. The department is working with Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Tesla founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk. Kushner said in a statement that leading up to the creation of the office, they hosted more than 100 leaders and government officials to exchange ideas and talk about what will “lead to change” in several key areas including veteran services and infrastructure upgrades and repairs.

Some of the other members of the office include Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, Chris Liddell, assistant to the president for strategic initiatives, Reed Cordish, assistant to the president for intergovernmental and technology initiatives, Dina Powell, senior counselor to the president for economic initiatives and deputy national security adviser, and Andrew Bremberg, director of the Domestic Policy Council.

In an open letter to the committee of the new office, Trump said by improving government operations and services, the department will lead to not only job creation but “a better quality of life” for all Americans. According to Trump, Kushner and the office will report directly to him and “bring together the best ideas from Government, the private sector, and other thought leaders to ensure that America is ready to solve today’s most intractable problems.”

Who is Kushner?

In addition to being married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, Kushner was also the owner of real estate company Kushner Companies and Observer Media, publisher of the weekly, online New York Observer. Kushner resigned on Jan. 9 when he was appointed as a senior adviser by his father-in-law, President Trump.

According to the White House website, Kushner received a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard in 2003 and a J.D. and M.B.A from New York University in 2007.

Kushner has stated several times since his appointment that his lack of political experience and plethora of business experience is a benefit in his opinion.

“The government should be run like a great American company,” Kushner said during an interview at the White House on Sunday. “Our hope is that we can achieve successes and efficiencies for our customers, who are the citizens.”

Now Kushner and his wife Ivanka, who is not an official hire of her father’s, both have offices in the West Wing just feet from the Oval Office. As of publication time, neither Ivanka nor her father have announced if she will have an official position within the White House.