He is one of the primary architects of the sanctions package that the US implemented on Russia after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has been at the forefront of designing and teaching "economic statecraft" at the intersection of economic policy and national security, including as a lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.[3][4][5][6]
Early life and education
Singh was born to a Sikh family in Olney, Maryland and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina.[7][8] He attended Enloe High School and was selected in 1992 to represent North Carolina at Boys' Nation, meeting President George H.W. Bush in the Rose Garden. His great-granduncle was the first Asian American elected to Congress, Dalip Singh Saund.[9]
During the most acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Singh was executive vice president and head of the Markets Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In this capacity, Singh was reportedly responsible for implementing most of the emergency lending programs put in place by the Federal Reserve to backstop the economy.[16][17][18][19][20]
Before the invasion of Ukraine, Singh led the Administration’s efforts to launch a democratic alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative,[22] craft a digital assets strategy,[23] develop a global pandemic preparedness fund,[24] and reform the World Bank.[25]
Russia's invasion of Ukraine
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, Singh emerged as a chief architect of the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia, detailing the Administration's design and strategy in multiple press briefings from the White House podium and press interviews,[26][27][28][29][30][31] including a feature story on 60 minutes.[32] Singh identified that the Russian economy was dependent on Western cutting-edge technologies such as microchips and software and that the Russian economy was vulnerable to a sudden stop of overseas capital.[30]
He pushed for and coordinated the sanctions measures taken against Russia's central bank, as the US, EU, UK, Japan, and Canada prohibited any dealings with the entity only two days after the invasion began.[30] According to the New Yorker, "No entity as large as the Russian Central Bank, nor so important to the global economy, had been sanctioned in modern times."[30]
Singh began "an extended leave of absence" from the White House beginning in April 2022, immediately after returning from India where he met his Indian counterparts, reportedly due to family reasons.[33]
2022 - 2024
Singh has testified to Congress on the Russia sanctions regime,[34] argued in favor of "freedom bonds"for Ukraine (inspired by the Brady plan),[35] and continued to advocate forcefully in favor of a digital dollar.[36][37]
In June 2022, he joined PGIM Fixed Income, one of the largest fixed income managers, as their chief global economist.[1][2] In December 2022, Singh was named to the Bloomberg 50 list of individuals who most influenced the global business landscape.[38]
^Pager, Tyler (2022-04-26). "Biden's sanctions coordinator to take leave of absence from White House". Washington Post. ISSN0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-04-27. Singh's leave is due to family reasons, said one person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. His leave is expected to begin next month, but the exact timing and length are still being finalized.