Neera Tanden, President Biden’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is facing bipartisan opposition that could sink her confirmation.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) came out against her confirmation initially and has now been joined by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Romney issued a statement today joining his colleagues by saying he would oppose Tanden’s nomination to the post because of her past hyperpartisan rhetoric and attacks on Republicans.
“Senator Romney has been critical of extreme rhetoric from prior nominees, and this is consistent with that position,” a statement from his office reads.
“He believes it’s hard to return to comity and respect with a nominee who has issued a thousand mean tweets.”
Sen. Mitt Romney will oppose Neera Tanden for OMB director, joining Manchin and Collins as significant votes against the nomination.
Per a Romney spokesperson: pic.twitter.com/kUqTiZByZZ
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 22, 2021
RELATED: Republicans, Progressives Unite Against Biden Budget Pick Neera Tanden
Neera Tanden’s Nomination Growing Less Likely
Romney joins Manchin and Collins in stating he will oppose Neera Tanden’s nomination.
“I believe her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget,” Manchin said on Friday.
“Neera Tanden has neither the experience nor the temperament to lead this critical agency,” Collins added. “Her past actions have demonstrated exactly the kind of animosity that President Biden has pledged to transcend.”
No possible reason other than sexism or racism why one might find Neera Tanden reprehensible. pic.twitter.com/60A2leDNZF
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 21, 2021
Tanden’s nomination has been in trouble since she was chosen by President Biden.
A spokesperson for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) stated in November that Tanden had “zero chance” of being confirmed for the post.
The need for support from some Republicans was going to be necessary for her to cross the finish line, but her rich history of negative remarks toward GOP lawmakers loomed large.
Watching @neeratanden delete all her negative tweets about Republican Senators is hilarious. Her nomination is already a funeral.
— Garrett Ventry (@GarrettVentry) November 30, 2020
RELATED: Nearly 50% Of Trump Voters Say They Will Follow Him To Another Party And Abandon The GOP
Tanden’s Transparently Partisan Attacks
Tanden spent the lead-up to her confirmation hearings trying to purge her Twitter feed of negative comments about Republican senators.
Among those were tweets in which she referred to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as having “broken our democracy” while stating she loves when he is referred to as “Moscow Mitch.”
Another deleted tweet urged people to “focus their ire on McConnell and the GOP senators who … enable him: Cory Gardner, Collins, Ernst, Cornyn, Perdue, Tillis, and many more.”
But it isn’t solely Republicans who have an issue with President Biden’s OMB pick.
Nomiki Konst, a former surrogate for Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, called Tanden out as an enemy of the left, accusing her of inciting “serious threats.”
Neera Tanden not only incited serious threats to many on the left w/a megaphone but she straight up pitched false hit/smear pieces on them, got them published & then had her organized Reddit/twittee/MSNBC army amplify to attempt to cancel those voices. History won’t reflect well
— Nomiki Konst (@NomikiKonst) November 30, 2020
Tanden has been accused of physically assaulting Faiz Shakir, a former Sanders campaign manager when he worked for the left-wing outfit ThinkProgress, which was headed by Tanden.
In 2008, Neera Tanden physically assaulted her staffer, Faiz Shakir, after he asked Hillary Clinton a critical question about the Iraq war.
Biden has already broken his pledge not to embrace brutal tyrants. https://t.co/iFdDxGerGE
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) November 30, 2020
She also drew the ire of many when emails surfaced of her celebrating the act of starting a war with Libya just to steal their oil, something that would have started a 24/7 news cycle in the Trump administration.
Neera Tanden thinks the way to reduce our deficit is to steal oil from countries like Libya to pay us back for bombing them, toppling their government, and turning them into a failed state. @JoeBiden Is this really the person you want in charge of managing our budget? pic.twitter.com/0H6E3P3lSs
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) December 3, 2020
The Libyan war, which began following the ‘Arab spring’ movement and NATObombing campaign that toppled Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, created what Time Magazine reports are “documented actual slave auctions.”
President Biden has continued to support Tanden despite growing opposition.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki touted her credentials which include – apparently – being an “Asian American woman” with “lived experience.”
WH stands by Tanden… https://t.co/PHUsHjbkzH
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 22, 2021
Tanden has apologized for her divisive statements, saying: “I deeply regret and apologize for my language – some of my past language.”
Will that apology be enough to get three other Republican votes she will need to be confirmed?
“I think we are going to find the votes to get her confirmed,” Biden predicted.
