"It'll be great to be home during the week. I've got three kids -- 12, 15 and 17 -- so it's time to come home and focus more on being a dad," Portman said in an interview with Cincinnati news station Fox 19.
Portman is leaving his post as Congress is working through individual appropriations bills and as the fiscal 2009 budget is being assembled. The shift leaves Nussle with limited time to affect the federal spending plan.
Prior to his appointment as budget director, Portman served for six terms as a congressman from Cincinnati before joining the Bush administration two years ago as U.S. trade representative. As trade representative, Portman helped win House passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement and completed bilateral trade deals with Bahrain, Peru, Oman and Columbia.
Beyond the task of assembling the budget, the position that Portman leaves is important for the implementation of defense programs, energy initiatives and tax policies. The budget director plays a significant role in spending decisions, in essence affecting the entire scope of government activities and policies.
Through his more than 14 years in public service, Portman gained expertise in the complexities of the federal budget deficit and developed a reputation as a "deficit hawk."
As Budget Director, Portman won much respect from members of both parties, with his popularity stemming from the perception that he puts pragmatism before his own fiscal conservatism.
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, wrote that Portman was "a person of credibility and decency that commanded respect on both sides of the aisle."
Portman has mentioned the possibility of pursuing elected office again in the future, either running for governor of Ohio or for the Senate.
"I represented South-West Ohio Congress for 12 years and I loved that job," Portman told Fox 19. "I don't know if I'll jump back into politics or not. I want to come home, re-engage with the community, be with my family and see what happens from there."
Nussle, who is known for his strict adherence to conservative budget priorities, is leaving the presidential campaign of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to take on this position. Last year, prior to joining Giuliani's campaign, Nussle left Congress to run for governor of Iowa and was defeated in that race.
Portman studied anthropology at Dartmouth before receiving a law degree from the University of Michigan. He first became involved with politics in the 1980 campaign of former President George H. W. Bush and then went on to become Associate Legal Counsel for him in 1989.
