US Senator Joe Manchin said Friday that he opposes President Joe Biden’s nomination of Neera Tanden as head of the Office of Governance and Budget, jeopardizing her chances of getting a job and creating a new obstacle to the Democratic agenda.
Tanden has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats for her recent harsh comments about her colleagues on social media. Senator Manchin noted that her “openly biased statements will have a toxic and detrimental effect on the important working relationship between members of the Congress”.
If Tanden is elected, this Indian American will become the first woman of color to serve as head of the US Treasury.
This bureau is a critical agency for any president tasked with carrying out the administration’s budget and regulatory agenda, and its leadership is a cabinet-level post. For Biden, the agency will be at the center of his administration’s response to the pandemic and the economic crisis that followed.