Indian-American Neera Tanden withdraws nomination from Biden cabinet

Washington - Key senators said they would vote against confirmation due to her past tweets.

By ANI

Published: Wed 3 Mar 2021, 7:51 AM

Indian-American Neera Tanden on Tuesday withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget after the Democrats failed to secure enough votes in the Senate to secure her confirmation.

President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the White House budget office had earlier generated early controversy, emerging as an immediate target for conservatives and Republican lawmakers who said they would vote against her.

Neera is said to have run in trouble with some of the Republican senators due to her comments about some members of the Senate on Twitter, The Hill reported.

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“I appreciate how hard you and your team at the White House has worked to win my confirmation. Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities,” Tanden said in a statement.

Besides accepting Neera’s request for withdrawal, US President Joe Biden indicated that she will be brought back in another capacity in his administration.

“I have accepted Neera Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my Administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work,” Biden said.

Tanden is the new administration’s first Cabinet nominee to be withdrawn from consideration. The White House spent the recent past trying to find a path for her confirmation, even as her prospects dimmed, The Hill reported.

Reuters