Neera Tanden, nominated by President Joe Biden as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), testifies during a hearing of the Senate Budget Committee at the Capitol in Washington, February 10, 2021.
Andrew Harnik | Pool | Reuters
Senator Joe Manchin will vote against appointing Neera Tanden to head the Office of Management and Budget, jeopardizing his confirmation for a key position in the Biden administration.
Unless a Republican supports Tanden, Democrat Manchin’s opposition would sink his confirmation into a Senate split by 50-50 per party. In a statement to NBC News on Friday, the West Virginia senator cited Tanden’s tweets spearing senators in office on the political spectrum.
“I believe that his openly partisan statements will have a toxic and damaging impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget,” said Manchin. “For this reason, I cannot support your appointment.”
If she fails to garner enough support, Tanden would be the Biden government’s first choice not to obtain confirmation from the Senate. No Republicans said they would vote for her yet.
Tanden, president of the center for left-wing studies for American Progress and adviser to the Clinton presidential campaign in 2016, faced a questioning in the Senate earlier this month because of his criticisms of lawmakers. Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, pointed out tweets in which she compared Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to “Harry Potter” villain Voldemort and said “vampires have more heart” than GOP Senator Ted Cruz from Texas.
Senator Bernie Sanders also noted Tanden’s story of “violent attacks” against progressives and Vermont’s independent senator. Clinton’s allies and the Center for American Progress dueled Sanders during the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries amid disputes over the party’s future.
Tanden apologized to senators during confirmation hearings this month.
“I am deeply sorry and apologize for my language, and part of my previous language,” she said.
Tanden reportedly deleted more than 1,000 tweets before his verification process started.
The OMB director helps to plan and execute the federal budget and Executive programs. If confirmed, Tanden would be the first black woman to hold the position.
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