Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he would oppose Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden's pick to run the White...
Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he would oppose Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden's pick to run the White House budget office, citing the 'toxic' impact of her tweets insulting fellow lawmakers.
The move could sink her nomination unless Biden can find a Republican to support Tanden, who Manchin faulted for overly partisan statements.
It was the first major party defection of the young Biden administration, although it notably came from a centrist lawmaker who voted with his party on convicting Trump of inciting the Capitol riot and plans to vote for Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill.
Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden's nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), testifies during a Senate Committee on the Budget hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 10, 2021. She lost the support of Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin
Tanden is Biden's choice to to head the Office of Management and Budget, a policy post that touches on nearly every aspect of major policy.
Her nomination had been considered on the rocks had Republicans kept control of the Senate. But in the Democratic-run 50-50 chamber, she had a decent chance to survive confirmation problems.
Biden told reporters as he returned to Washington from a trip to Michigan he was not pulling her nomination.
'I think we are going to find the votes and get her confirmed,' he said.
Tanden has been criticized by Republicans over her past harsh comments on social media, such as calling Mitch McConnell, the party's leader in the Senate, 'Moscow Mitch' and saying 'vampires have more heart than (Senator) Ted Cruz.'
'I have carefully reviewed Neera Tanden's public statements and tweets that were personally directed towards my colleagues on both sides of the aisle from Senator Sanders to Senator McConnell and others,' Manchin said in a statement.
Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) is a prominent Democratic centrist who will hold key leverage in the Senate over the Biden agenda
President Joe Biden has been gradually getting his nomination through the Democratic-run Senate
She has tangled with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Budget Committee
Tanden attacked Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one possible GOP centrist who occasionally crosses the aisle
Tanden's comments have made adversaries on the right and the left
Tanden referred to GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as 'Voldemort' in one tweet
'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,' he said.
Many Democrats scoffed at such concerns, noting near-unanimous Republican support for former President Donald Trump, who was accused of inciting a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol partly via inflammatory comments on Twitter and was known for blasting those he saw as opponents - particularly women - as 'nasty' or criminals who should be locked up.
Manchin cited Tanden's 'public statements and tweets' in his statement.
If every Senate Democrat supported Tanden, she could have been confirmed without Republican votes since Democrats control 50 seats in the chamber and Vice President Kamala Harris can break a tie.
However, Manchin's opposition means Tanden must be supported by a least one Republican to be confirmed.
Tanden has a limited number of Republicans who might bail out her nomination. Just seven GOP senators voted to convict President Trump in his impeachment trial.
She may have already burned a bridge with one relative GOP centrist she might ordinarily turn to, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
'Susan Collins' terrible treatment of Dr. Ford should haunt Collins the rest of her days,' Tanden tweeted during the contentious Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, when Susan Blasey Ford raised allegations against him.
“I recognize the concern. I deeply regret and apologize for my language, and some of my past language,' Tanden said at her confirmation hearing.
When Biden picked Tanden, chief executive of the left-leaning Center for American Progress think tank in Washington, Republicans pointed to her past strong comments on Twitter, such as referring to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell as “Moscow Mitch” and saying “vampires have more heart than (Senator) Ted Cruz.”
Following reports that she regretted 1,000 tweets, Tanden said she did so 'because I regretted the tone.'
As OMB head she will interact with Senate Budget chair Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who reminded her of their past at her hearing.
'Your attacks were not just made against Republicans. There were vicious attacks made against progressives, people who I have worked with, me personally,' he told her.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina read one of them, which referenced the bitter 2016 nomination fight between Hillary Clinton and Sanders.
'Russia did a lot more to help Bernie than the DNC's random internal e-mails did to help Hillary,' Tanden wrote, siding with Clinton.
In addition to calling Cruz a vampire, she once referred to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell 'Voldemort' from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.
Last week, former President Donald Trump called McConnell a 'dour, sullen', 'unsmiling political hack' and accused McConnell of 'destroying' the GOP.'
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