“Obama says Lew “a low-key guy” and “master of policy”

* Lew, 57, appears likely to win Senate confirmation

* Faces Republican questions about spending reforms

* Chamber president says Lew is “tough dude,” will do “just fine”

By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated his chief of staff, Jack Lew, as the next Treasury secretary, praising him as a expert on the pressing national issues of spending cuts and deficit reduction.

Lew will succeed Timothy Geithner and take the lead on difficult negotiations with Congress on how to cut the nation’s massive debt and rein in spending – a central challenge for Obama’s second term.

Lew, a 57-year-old New Yorker who has previously served as White House budget chief, is likely to face tough questioning from Republicans in his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing after a bruising year-end battle over tax increases on the wealthy. He appears likely to win Senate confirmation.

Obama described Lew as “a low-key guy who prefers to surround himself with policy experts rather than television cameras, and said the son of a Polish immigrant had a deep belief in public service.

“Over the years, he’s built a reputation as a master of policy who can work with members of both parties and forge principled compromises,” Obama said…”

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