Updated: Sept. 8, 12:20 p.m.

Jacob Lew, nominated to be the new director of the Office of Management and Budget, will sit for his confirmation hearings Sept. 16.

The hearings before the Senate Budget and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, which share jurisdiction over the nominations, come nearly two months after President Barack Obama tapped Lew for the position, which has been vacant since July 30, when Peter Orszag stepped down.

Lew’s nomination has been widely praised on Capitol Hill, but his hearing this month will give Republicans a platform to discuss — and likely criticize — Obama’s track record on the economy and the deficit. Obama has barnstormed the country over the past week, making stops in Milwaukee and Cleveland among other places, to tout proposals aimed at boosting the stagnant economy.

Lew, who is the deputy secretary of State for management and resources, served as OMB director under President Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2001 — the most recent period in which the federal government ran a surplus.