Aaron Hedlund, Chief Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) at the White House, discussed economic policy. (Lakmé Bergeret | Contributing Photographer) Aaron Hedlund, the Chief Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) at the White House defended the actions that the Trump administration has taken with the economy, including tariffs, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and deregulation efforts, Feb. 20.