White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted on Wednesday that Biden himself had a similar role as a “responsible person” in implementing the Obama administration’s 2009 stimulus.
Sperling declined to comment. The White House declined to comment.
Sperling, who currently lives in Los Angeles with his family, would bring extensive experience in economic policy issues to the post of stimulus czar. He served as head of the National Economic Council under Clinton and Obama, as well as one of the Treasury Department’s top advisers under Obama.
Sperling found himself at odds with progressives in recent years for his role in negotiations on various deficit-reducing efforts. But he has moved further to the left in recent years, advocating a massive expansion of spending to combat Covid and help an economy that remains about 11 million jobs below the number that would exist without the pandemic. When Obama’s former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers wrote an article questioning whether the last stimulus was too big, Sperling quickly replied that he believed not.
A fixture in the Washington political system established for decades – famous for going to meetings with a phone tucked behind his ear and stacks of papers in his hands – Sperling has deep relationships across the Capitol. He was looking for a significant role in the Biden administration. And the White House indicated to lawmakers that it wanted him to be in the top position in the OMB.
But the idea of Sperling as a replacement for Tanden has received great resistance from Hill, according to several sources involved in or aware of the discussions.
Instead of, Shalanda Young is increasingly likely to be Biden’s final choice to lead the OMB, according to four sources familiar with discussions at the White House. Young, who is currently appointed by Biden to be deputy budget director, is a former Congressional budget advisor and has received support from Congressional Black Caucus, the three main Democratic leaders in the House, members of Hispanic Caucus and some Republicans .
Some members of the House have indicated to the government that it would not be good to ignore Young, a black woman, and to appoint a white man to replace Tanden, who would have been the first American Indian to take office.
The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee and the Senate Budget Committee proposed Young’s appointment to be the deputy director of the OMB on Wednesday, sending his nomination to the floor for a final confirmation vote. Psaki had previously said that Young would likely be asked to serve as interim director, once confirmed and how Biden got a new nominee.
After Tanden’s name was withdrawn from consideration, members of Congressional Black Caucus launched an aggressive pressure campaign to convince Biden to put Young in first place. Although he said he was not aware of the government’s plans, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) Said that Biden “certainly cannot make a mistake” in naming Young because “she is brilliant”.
A House Democrat who asked to speak on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations said that if the White House did not choose Young, it would be “an affront” to the Black Congress and the leadership in the House.
Several Democratic members who spoke to POLITICO last week said they saw Young as an inevitable choice and said that nominating her for the post would represent a White House commitment to Black members of the Caucus, who repeatedly made it clear that black voters were fundamental to his victory in November.
“When I think of opportunities to make sure we’re talking about diversity here, it’s another chance – Shalanda would be the first woman of color to serve in that position,” said Representative Gregory Meeks (DN.Y.) in an interview Wednesday -market. “So, it’s a chance to break another roof again. And I think that when you have a chance to break the ceiling, you do it. “
Chris Cadelago and Natasha Korecki contributed to this report.