Washington Post’s Romm joining economics team

Washington Post business editor Lori Montgomery, economics editor Damian Paletta, deputy economics editor Jen Liberto and Washington economics editor Mike Madden sent out the following on Monday:

In this role, Tony will answer a question that’s often overlooked in Washington: What happens after a bill is approved in Congress and signed at the White House? Are its loftiest goals achieved? Or do its promising policies and pots of taxpayer cash get snagged on the rocks of waste, fraud and bureaucratic inertia? Working with colleagues across the Business desk and throughout the newsroom, Tony will explore how Washington is implementing the sweeping economic measures of the past few years, building on the excellent work he did on the Covid Money Trail, a series he conceived and led in 2022. He also will look more generally at federal spending, shedding light on whether and how it is benefiting its intended recipients. And he’ll help keep a close eye on an array of regulators with vast responsibility for managing the nation’s financial and tech sectors, among other industries.

Tony is a powerhouse reporter – ambitious, fast and scoopy – who has established himself as one of the most fearsome competitors in Washington journalism. For the past two years, he has covered economic policy in Congress, putting him at the center of some of The Post’s most consequential news stories. He covered the tumultuous debate around the trillion-dollar infrastructure package and repeatedly scooped the competition on President Biden’s Build Back Better Act – breaking news on both the near-collapse of the measure and at its surprise resurrection. Tony also tracked the historic flood of federal pandemic cash in the Covid Money Trail, revealing how vast sums failed to reach the people in need. Most recently, he’s been a critical force in our coverage of Washington’s response to the biggest bank failure since the Great Recession.

Before heading to the Hill, Tony covered tech policy for The Post, breaking stories about Facebook’s attempt to fight the federal government over a hefty fine and the collapse of a program to help lower-income Americans pay their phone bills. He joined The Post in 2018 from Recode and has also covered tech policy for Politico. A graduate of American University, Tony lives in D.C. but grew up in Philadelphia – as will quickly become apparent to anyone who follows him on Twitter during an Eagles game.