WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation today welcomed Daniel Kowalski as the Director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. Operating within the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, the Center focuses on federal fiscal policy, developing budget policies to address problems lawmakers have dismissed as intractable—from eliminating wasteful spending to tax reform to budget process reform.  

Heritage president, Dr. Kevin Roberts, welcomed Kowalski to the team, stating:  

“It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Daniel Kowalski as the Director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. The Heritage Foundation has a long history of supporting rigorous work on budget policy, helping Heritage members, elected officials, and their staff understand how chronic overspending can be brought under control. Dan’s extensive real-world experience will only improve the effectiveness of Heritage’s work in this area. In short, Dan is one of the best in the business. We're thrilled to have him join us.”  

Mr. Kowalski has 25 years of experience in federal budget policy. He is one of a handful of experts who has served in each of the four pillars of the federal budget process: the Congressional Budget Office, the House Budget Committee, the Senate Budget Committee, and the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  

Daniel Kowalski remarked on his appointment: 

“I am honored to be named the Director of the Hermann Center and eager to get to work. The budget reflects our priorities as a nation, but our priorities have sadly been misplaced with funding going to the fringe 20 percent instead of the mainstream 80 percent. The Hermann Center can help identify those misplaced priorities and provide specific changes for lawmakers to consider, including rooting out abuse of the programs upon which so many hard-working Americans depend. We will work to define what constitutes today’s conservative budget, consistent with Heritage’s past work and Grover Hermann’s faith in free enterprise.”     

Daniel served in the current Trump administration as the Executive Associate Director of OMB. In the previous Trump administration, he served as a Counselor to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, assisting in negotiations spanning tax reform to Covid recovery.  

Kowalski also has experience in state and local government, most recently serving as the senior political appointee in the Department of Planning and Budget for former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.