Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Friday (19) that he will oppose the confirmation of White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director nominee Neera Tanden, which could make her unsuccessful in the Senate. Manchin said in a statement.
In a statement, Manchin said, “I believe her public partisan rhetoric will have a harmful and adverse impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next OMB director.”
The news broke as Biden was traveling on Air Force One to Michigan to visit Pfizer’s vaccine manufacturing plant. As Biden exited Air Force One, reporters asked Biden if he would withdraw Tanden’s nomination, to which he replied, “No.”
“I think we’ll find the votes to get her confirmed,” Biden continued. The White House also said in a statement that they will continue to push for Tanden’s confirmation.
But with the Senate now split between the two parties, Vice President Kamala Harris (D-N.Y.) could break the tie. But if all Republican senators oppose Tanden’s confirmation, along with Manchin, Tanden will not get the majority needed to pass confirmation.
That means the Biden confirmation process for Tanden is likely over unless a Senate Republican can be persuaded to support Tanden.
Neera Tanden, the White House nominee for director of the Office of Administration and Budget (OMB).
Tanden has made few friends in the Senate with her frequent vitriolic comments on social media about Republicans and even left-leaning Democrats. She has compared Republicans to evil fictional characters.
In Tanden’s tweets, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was compared to Voldemort; she also called vampires more scheming than Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz; said Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was “the worst of the worst “; calling Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders “everything but an ignorant slut.
During the nomination hearings, Tanden was grilled again and again by lawmakers from across the political spectrum for his poor social media history. According to CNN, Tanden had deleted nearly 1,000 tweets before being nominated.
No Republicans have yet said they will vote for her. If Tanden does not receive enough support, she will be the first Biden Administration nominee not to be confirmed by the Senate.
Manchin’s bucking Biden on White House Cabinet nominees is the first sign of his insistence on independence from the Biden administration. It is possible that he and other Senate Democrats will use their power to change some of Biden’s plans.
Recent Comments