The Senate Budget Committee and the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee postponed scheduled Wednesday votes on the nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Despite the postponement, President Biden appears to be sticking behind Tanden’s nomination. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted support for Tanden this morning after the two committee votes were delayed.
“Neera Tanden is a leading policy expert who brings critical qualifications to the table during this time of unprecedented crisis,” she wrote. “She has a broad spectrum of support, ranging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to labor unions, and has a strong record of working with both parties that we expect to grow in President Biden’s cabinet.”
Tanden, who has faced criticism of prior tweets targeting members of Congress, is struggling to secure enough support on either side of the aisle to clear a Senate-wide confirmation vote. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., announced that he wouldn’t vote in favor of her nomination if it reached the Senate floor. Another potential swing vote, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has not publicly said whether she would vote for her nomination.
With Manchin’s announcement, Tanden would need to secure support from at least one Republican. However, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, have both come out against her nomination. Another target on the Republican side of the aisle Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has not answered press questions on whether she’d vote to confirm Tanden.
During her confirmation hearings, Tanden answered questions on a range of issues, including, cybersecurity, IT modernization, supply chain, regulatory matters, tax rates, school choice, national debt, climate change, and influence from special interest groups.
