Biden Stands Firm on Tanden for OMB
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden told reporters waiting for him at Joint Base Andrews Friday evening he has no intention of withdrawing the nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget.
A short time later, in a statement from the White House, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “Neera Tanden is an accomplished policy expert who would be an excellent Budget Director and we look forward to the committee votes next week and to continuing to work toward her confirmation through engagement with both parties.”
Tanden’s nomination was thrown into dount Friday when Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia became the first Democratic lawmaker to oppose her confirmation.
During her confirmation hearings, Tanden apologized for spending years attacking top Republicans on social media. She is a former adviser to Hillary Clinton and served as president of the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress.
With the Senate evenly divided between 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats, she’ll likely need support from at least one Republican to win confirmation.
“I believe her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget,” Manchin said in a statement.
He went on to say that, at a time of grave crisis, “it is more important than ever that we chart a new bipartisan course that helps address the many serious challenges facing our nation.”
The Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to vote on her nomination next week.
