Michael has been a leader on public policy issues for much of his almost 50 year career in Washington, D.C. In addition to his more than two-decade service on Capitol Hill, he has served as a commissioner on the US-Trade Deficit Review Commission from 1999-2000. Subsequently, he was appointed by Congress to serve multiple terms on the US-China Economic & Security Review Commission. Michael was an original member of the commission and served for 23 years until departing at the end of 2024. He is the cleared staff chair of the USTR’s and Secretary of Labor’s Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy.
Michael served on the staff of House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt for more than twenty years, leaving his position as General Counsel in March 1998. In addition to his duties as General Counsel, he was chief policy advisor, strategist, and negotiator. He was responsible for the development, coordination, management, and implementation of the Leader's overall policy and political objectives, with specific responsibility for international trade, finance, economics, labor, and taxation.
In the late 1980s, he was the Executive Director of the House Trade and Competitiveness Task Force, where he was responsible for the Democrats’ trade and competitiveness agenda as well as overall coordination of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988.
He was intimately involved in the development of comprehensive tax reform legislation in the early 1980s and every major tax bill during his tenure. Beginning in 1989, he became the principal advisor to the Democratic Leadership on economic policy matters and served as tax policy coordinator to the 1990 budget summit.
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In 1988, he served as National Issues Director to Gephardt's Presidential campaign and served as a senior policy advisor, counselor and surrogate in his second campaign. During the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign, he assisted on a broad range of issues and served as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Clinton/Gore transition office. During the 2004 Presidential campaign, he served as co-chair of the Trade Policy Group for the Kerry/Edwards campaign. And, during President Obama and Secretary Clinton's campaigns, he was publicly identified as an economic advisor and served in a similar role in President Biden’s 2020 campaign.
He has coauthored a number of articles with Democratic Leader Gephardt and a book, An Even Better Place: America in the 21st Century (Public Affairs, 1999). He has written articles appearing in The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and other newspapers. He has been a frequent commentator on television and has been a guest on the Diane Rehm Show hosted on National Public Radio in addition to being frequently quoted in a variety of national and international publications.
Michael has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company since December 2005.
Michael holds a B.A. and a J.D. from George Washington University. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.