Douglas Holtz-Eakin, director of the Congressional Budget Office, has announced he will be leaving his post at the end of this year. Holtz-Eakin is leaving to become head of the Center for Geoeconomic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Deputy CBO Director Donald Marron will lead the official congressional budget scorekeeping agency until the chairmen of the House and Senate Budget committees name a new director. Before coming to the agency in February 2003, Holtz-Eakin was the chief economist for the president’s Council of Economic Advisers. At CBO, he won bipartisan praise for his even-handedness. He consistently pushed Congress to begin to address the serious long-term fiscal problems facing the federal government and highlighted the importance of sound budget and tax policies in order to achieve a more solid financial foundation for the government over the coming decades. His well-respected reputation and thorough understanding of the challenges facing the country will be missed. AP: Congressional Budget Chief To Quit