Neera Tanden withdraws her nomination as White House Budget Chief
Indian-American Neera Tanden on Tuesday withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget after the ruling party failed to muster enough votes in the Senate to secure her confirmation. Tanden, 50, had been facing a tough time for the confirmation of her nomination over her past Twitter outbursts against several lawmakers, including those from her own Democratic Party.
First high-profile defeat of one of Biden's nominees
Biden accepted her withdrawal and indicated that Tanden might be brought in the administration in some other capacity. Her withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat of one of Biden's nominees. Eleven of the 23 Cabinet nominees requiring Senate approval have been confirmed, most with strong bipartisan support. The President indicated that she will have a role to play in his administration.
She will serve in some capacity in Biden administration
"I have accepted Neera Tanden's request to withdraw her name. I have the utmost respect for her accomplishment, experience, and counsel. I look forward to having her serve a role in my administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work," Biden said.
Tanden thanked Biden and his team for considering her
Earlier in a letter to Biden, Tanden said it has been an honor of a lifetime to be considered for the role. "I appreciate how hard you and your team at the White House have worked to win my confirmation and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities," Tanden said in the letter.
Tanden thanked Biden for his leadership
"Unfortunately, it seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation for the role. I am incredibly grateful for your leadership on behalf of the American people and for your agenda that will make such a transformative difference in people's lives," Tanden wrote.
Tanden's past tweets jeopardized her position
Notably, Tanden's nomination was in jeopardy because of hundreds of her tweets against several Republican and Democratic Senators, who in turn vowed to vote against her during the Senate confirmation. She reportedly had to delete more than 1,000 tweets before her confirmation process started. Tanden had also apologized to senators during her confirmation hearings last month.
