United States Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew is resting comfortably after undergoing prostate surgery in New York. The surgery had been planned for Tuesday as an outpatient procedure, though Lew developed a low-grade fever and was kept overnight for observation, according to Treasury spokeswoman Natalie Wyeth Earnest. In a statement today, Earnest added that Lew is now home and that “He is in good spirits, talking with staff and looks forward to being back in the office next week.”
Since 2013, Lew has been 76th Secretary of the Treasury, and also served served as the 25th White House Chief of Staff from 2012 to 2013. The attorney previously served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton and Obama Administrations, and is a member of the Democratic Party.
Here Lew discusses the end of the concept of the U.S, economy being “Too Big to Fail” with Charlie Rose:
Lew, 58, underwent the operation for a benign prostate enlargement, and is set to resume his duties sometime next week. He was scheduled to to appear before the House Financial Services Committee today to go over issues related to the international financial system, including possible changes at the International Monetary Fund. The meeting has been postponed.
When Barack Obama nominated Lew for the position of Secretary of the Treasury on January 10, 2013, the president was unaware of Lew’s dopey looking signature, which would appear on all U.S. paper currency for the duration of his tenure. Obama even joked that he might rescind Lew’s nomination.
Here’s Lew’s original signature:
Here’s Lew’s new and improved money signature:
In December, 2013 Lew commented that the U.S. government might run out of money to pay the country’s debt by late February or early March of 2014. Lew stated, “The creditworthiness of the United States is an essential underpinning of our strength as a nation; it is not a bargaining chip to be used for partisan political ends. Increasing the debt limit does not authorize new spending commitments. It simply allows the government to pay for expenditures Congress has already approved.”
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