Neera Tanden, candidate for director of the Office of Management and Budget, testifies during a Senate committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 10, 2021. Anna Moneymaker / Pool / AFP via Getty Images hide the caption
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Anna Moneymaker / Pool / AFP via Getty Images
Neera Tanden, candidate for director of the Office of Management and Budget, testifies during a Senate committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 10, 2021.
Anna Moneymaker / Pool / AFP via Getty Images
West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said he was opposed to President Biden’s nominee to head the bureau of administration and budget, Neera Tanden.
Manchin cited negative comments on Republicans Tanden made while leading the left-wing think tank Center for American Progress. The social media comments have been largely right-wing questioned since their nomination.
“I believe your openly partisan testimony will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the vital working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Department of Administration and Budget. For this reason, I cannot support your nomination,” said Manchin, who has a history of breaking up with his party.
At her confirmation hearing last week Tanden apologized for her comments.
“I think the past few years have been very polarizing and I apologize for the language that has helped,” Tanden told members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. “I know it’s up to me to demonstrate to this committee and to the Republican and Democratic members that I can work with anyone.”
Manchin’s stance is a blow to Tanden’s nomination in a Senate that is 50% split between the parties. She would need at least one Republican senator to vote for her. Republicans have joined Democrats in helping other Biden nominees, but that selection wasn’t as controversial.
Tanden, who served as advisors to Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, would be the first black woman to oversee OMB.
