White House adviser Kevin Hassett leaving administration: report

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett will reportedly depart the Trump administration this summer after rejoining the president’s team earlier this year.

Axios reported Monday that Hassett, who previously served on the White House economic counsel and returned to the administration this spring to assist with President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, plans to depart in the weeks ahead.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.

Hassett’s reported exit comes after another member of the economic council, Andrew Olmem, left his position in recent days.

Hassett, a conservative economist who previously worked at the American Enterprise Institute, was one of the voices in the White House promoting the use of face masks and warning about fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Axios noted. He has also warned about adverse effects to the U.S. economy if state shutdowns remained in place for very long.

“You really can’t shut down the global economy for six months and expect anything to continue,” he said on CNN during an interview in March.

Hassett was also reportedly one of the leading voices calling for another large coronavirus aid bill. Plans for another stimulus package have stalled in Congress as the House-passed HEROES Act looks unlikely to pass the Senate.