Washington: Neera Tanden would make history as the first woman of color to head the Office of Management and Budget, but she's already faced strong pushback from Senate Republicans. She's also been an outspoken partisan warrior, and that could complicate her confirmation process, especially if Republicans maintain control of the Senate after Georgia's two runoff races in January.
Tanden is president and CEO of the prominent left-leaning Center for American Progress, a think tank that promotes Democratic ideas. She served in President Bill Clinton's administration, was a key player in Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign, and worked in the Obama administration, helping craft the Affordable Care Act. But it isn't her resume that's generating all the heat; it's the fights she's waged on Twitter and elsewhere. During the Trump years, she's been highly critical of Senate Republicans for enabling the president. "She's been pretty partisan in some of her previous positions and in many cases with respect to Republican senators who would have to vote on her potential nomination," said Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, alluding to the tweets.
And it's not just Republicans. In 2016 and again in 2019, Tanden tangled with Bernie Sanders' supporters. She was unabashed in her support of Clinton, his onetime presidential primary rival, and many people in Sanders' world see her as too centrist. But already progressive Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown have rushed to express support for Tanden, in essence shoring her up from the left. As Biden introduced her at an event in Wilmington, the strategy for securing her confirmation came into focus. He described her as having a "brilliant policy mind with critical practical experience across government." Then he quickly turned to her childhood. She was raised by a single mother, an immigrant from India who, for a time, relied on government assistance to get on her feet after a divorce.
People who know her say Tanden's approach to policy is driven by her childhood experiences being lifted up by government assistance. It's a story she may retell from the Senate witness stand if she ultimately has a confirmation hearing in the chamber. Tanden's primary role as budget director would be to put Biden's promises and priorities into a budget document that is as much about message as dollars and cents.
