Thomas Kahn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. He teaches courses about Congress, the Presidency, and the federal budget. In 2023, American University granted him the “Outstanding Teaching in an Adjunct Appointment Award.” He’s also been a consultant to the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute through which he advises parliaments in emerging democracies about legislative process and budgeting.
Tom is the longest serving staff director in US history for the House Budget Committee—20 years. He also held senior posts for two other House Committees. While at the Budget Committee, he played a critical role in the following budget negotiations: Simpson/Bowles, the Biden talks, the Super Committee, the successful Balanced Budget agreement of 1997 and the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.
Tom is an attorney and practiced law at Sullivan and Cromwell in New York before coming to Capitol Hill. He’s a magna cum laude graduate of both Georgetown Law School and Tufts University. At law school, Tom was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Budgeting Roundtable, Freedom House’s Board of Trustees, the American Jewish Committee’s Board of Governors, Israel Policy Forum’s board of directors and the Board of Directors of the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry. His articles have appeared in a range of periodicals, including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.