What Neera Tanden’s Failed Confirmation Means for the Biden Administration

Former Office of Management and Budget Director nominee Neera Tanden. Source.

President Joe Biden faced his first major cabinet confirmation setback two weeks ago with the withdrawal of Neera Tanden as his pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Tanden faced a difficult confirmation process from the outset due to her past criticism of the GOP and some progressives, like Senator Bernie Sanders. Tanden later deleted many of these critical tweets before her confirmation hearing, though this did little to improve her chances of confirmation. How did Tanden — the former Clinton campaign aide and president of the Center for American Progress — draw ire from Democrats and Republicans and become Biden’s first cabinet-level defeat? Some argue that she simply told the truth.

In a piece from The Nation titled “A Defense of Neera Tanden’s Tweets (but Not of Neera Tanden),” author David Klion suggests that although Tanden is being punished for her internet posts, many of them are actually correct. Putting personal animosity aside, Klion maintains that many on the left, including himself, find no issue with the substance of Tanden’s tweets, namely those which call out Republican Senators like Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz. However, the majority of the Senate has little tolerance for hyper-partisan personal attacks, no matter the party, and this is what dealt the final blow to Tanden’s confirmation. 

Was Tanden a poor choice for Biden given his dedication to unity? The New York Times reported that several in Biden’s inner circle of economic aides saw her as “combative” and “less bipartisan” than the president’s other nominees. Biden called Tanden a "brilliant policy mind with critical practical experience across government." Even though Tanden seemed an appropriate choice based on her qualifications and past experience, perhaps a less partisan choice would have been appropriate for Biden given his repeated calls for unity. 

Now the work begins to find a replacement for Tanden, one that has a sure path to confirmation. Many congressional Democrats are pushing for Biden to nominate Shalanda Young to lead the OMB. Young is Biden’s pick to be deputy director of the OMB and she is currently the staff director and clerk for the House Appropriations Committee. Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged the mounting pressure from Congress to nominate Young but stated there are many individuals qualified for the job. Furthermore, Psaki stated that the Biden administration is hoping Young will be confirmed as deputy director so that she can assume the role of interim director, casting doubt on a new nomination as OMB director.

So far, 13 of Biden’s 23 Cabinet-level nominees have been confirmed by the Senate with several awaiting committee approval or a Senate-wide vote. While some, like Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland and Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland, have faced opposition from Republicans, none of Biden’s other nominees face such questionable nomination prospects as Neera Tanden. This is promising for the Biden administration, which is eager to begin enacting key policy goals with a full slate of cabinet advisors. In our increasingly digital world, perhaps Neera Tanden serves as a warning to future presidents and potential executive nominees that tweets matter and can be consequential.