Neera Tanden, the president of the Centre for American Progress. Photo / AP
United States President-elect Joe Biden's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget is quickly emerging as a political battle that could disrupt his efforts to swiftly fill out his Administration.
Some Republicans are expressing doubt that Neera Tanden could be confirmed by the Senate after she spent years attacking GOP lawmakers on social media.
Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton claimed Tanden's rhetoric was "Filled with hate & guided by the woke left."
Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn said Tanden's "combative and insulting comments" about Republican senators created "certainly a problematic path." He called her "maybe (Biden's) worst nominee so far."
NEW: Wisconsin certifies Biden's winhttps://t.co/vRUKKOxRdN
— Axios (@axios) November 30, 2020
Such sentiment is notable considering the GOP's general reluctance to criticise President Donald Trump's broadsides on Twitter. But like all of Biden's nominees, Tanden has little margin for error as she faces confirmation in a closely divided Senate.
That could be especially daunting for Tanden, a former adviser to Hillary Clinton and the president of the centre-left Centre for American Progress, given her history of political combat.
Biden's transition team released a litany of praise for Tanden from figures including Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Georgia governor candidate Stacey Abrams.
Other Democrats also rushed to defend Tanden's nomination. Former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett said Tanden "grew up on welfare and lived in public housing. She experienced first hand the importance of our social programmes. Her extraordinary career has been devoted to improving opportunities for working families. She is an excellent choice to lead OMB."
Biden favorability: 55%
— Bill Scher (@billscher) November 30, 2020
Democratic Party favorability: 45%https://t.co/M9097QUKEZ
"Neera Tanden is smart, experienced, and qualified for the position of OMB Director," added Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a member of the party's progressive wing. "The American people decisively voted for change - Mitch McConnell shouldn't block us from having a functioning government that gets to work for the people we serve."
On the Senate floor, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said it's impossible to take Republicans' criticism of Tanden seriously.
"Honestly, the hypocrisy is astounding. If Republicans are concerned about criticism on Twitter, their complaints are better directed at President Trump," Schumer said.
At OMB, Tanden would be responsible for preparing Biden's budget submission and would command several hundred budget analysts, economists and policy advisers with deep knowledge of the inner workings of the government.
"It's imperative that the next administration can count on the senate to confirm its cabinet without delay. So hearings on President-Elect Biden's nominees should begin in January immediately after the Georgia runoff elections," Senate Minority Leader Schumer. pic.twitter.com/cM3FTDkRtC
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 30, 2020
If Democrats should win runoff elections for Georgia's two GOP-held Senate seats, Tanden's job would become hugely important because the party would gain a slim majority in the chamber.
That would allow them to pass special budget legislation that could roll back Trump's tax cuts, boost the Affordable Care Act and pursue other spending goals.
OMB would have a central role in such legislation.
Top Democrats, Biden included, supported anti-deficit packages earlier in their careers, but the party has since changed.
McConnell's reticence to acknowledge Trump's defeat and his silence on Biden's early cabinet nominees don't bode well for the "epiphany" that the president-elect predicted.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) November 30, 2020
Some Republicans think McConnell's attitude is all about the Georgia runoffs. https://t.co/TSALKAtM0U
Biden was a force behind the establishment of the Obama deficit commission, which was created to win votes of Democratic moderates to pass an increase in the government's borrowing cap and was chaired by former Clinton White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles.
Tanden shares a commonly held view among Democratic lawmakers that Republicans usually profess concerns about deficits only when Democrats are in power.
They point to tax cut packages passed in the opening year of Trump's Administration and former President George W. Bush's 2001 tax cut.
- AP