“I am working with President Biden to find extra votes for her to pass,” he told reporters at a news conference in New York, mentioning Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who said last week that he would not vote for Tanden. “I think she would be an excellent OMB leader,” added Schumer.
Biden said he does not intend to withdraw Tanden’s nomination and believes that they will find the votes to confirm it.
She has met 35 senators on both sides of the corridor so far, said a source involved in the confirmation process with CNN on Saturday. “This disclosure, which started moments after she was appointed, will continue for the next week,” said the source. She is expected to continue to evangelize lawmakers this week.
Schumer holds a narrow majority in a 50-50 Senate, and Vice President Kamala Harris can vote for a tiebreaker in the House, but without Manchin’s support, Democrats will not have votes on their own.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Friday that Tanden is “an accomplished policy expert who would be an excellent Budget Director and we look forward to the committee’s votes next week and will continue to work for her confirmation through engagement with both parties. “