Rudolph G. Penner (born 1936 in Amherstburg, Ontario) is a Canadian-American economist who was the director of the United States Congressional Budget Office from September 1, 1983, through April 28, 1987.
He subsequently entered academia, receiving a professorship at the University of Rochester, where he concentrated on tax policy.
[1] After joining the Office of Management & Budget, Penner rose to become the agency's chief economist during the Ford administration.
Previous federal posts included stints as deputy assistant secretary for economic affairs with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and senior staff economist for the Council of Economic Advisors.
At the time of his appointment as head of the CBO, he expressed interest in shifting toward consumption-based taxes and working toward reduction of the federal deficit.