The Senate Homeland Security Committee is postponing a confirmation hearing scheduled for Wednesday for Neera Tanden, Axios learned, a potential death sentence for President Biden’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
Why does it matter: Tanden’s nomination was already in jeopardy after several senators expressed their opposition. Although the White House has continued to support it, the last-minute postponement is another indication of the fragility of its confirmation.
- “We are postponing the business meeting because members are asking for more time to consider the nominee,” said an adviser to the committee, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The president deserves to have a team where he wants it, and we are working with our members to find the best way forward.”
- The meeting was scheduled for 10am ET.
- Axios reported on Monday that House Democrats were already planning a replacement candidate.
Tanden faced some issues from both sides about their qualifications, but the broadest criticism received was for previous combative tweets.
- Not only does she have a long history of attacking some of the Republican and Democratic senators called to vote for her nomination, but her comments undermined Biden’s campaign promise to seek unity and work in a bipartisan way.
- Last week, a Democratic colleague – West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin – said he would not vote to confirm it, and this week, three Republicans saw it as possible substitutes in the 50-50 split Senate – Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Ohio’s Portman and Utah’s Mitt Romney – also said they would vote no.
- “His previous actions demonstrated exactly the kind of animosity that President Biden promised to transcend,” said Collins in a statement.
The White House remained firm, despite criticism and postponement of the meeting.
- “Neera Tanden is a leading policy expert who brings essential qualifications to the table during this time of unprecedented crisis,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement to Axios.
- Tanden, an ally of the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, currently leads the Center for American Progress.
- Other supporters accused Tanden’s opponents of hypocrisy, noting that Manchin and many Republican senators voted to confirm President Trump’s nominees, who also posted caustic tweets.
Be smart: Tanden tried to make amends by excluding his tweets, apologizing for any offense and promising to be a director of the OMB who works in a bipartisan way.