WASHINGTON: in a major setback for the US president Joe biden, Indo-American Neera Tanden on Tuesday withdrew his appointment to the management of the White House Office of Management and Budget, after the ruling party and administration failed to muster enough votes in the Senate to secure it confirmation.
Tanden, 50, had been going through a rough time securing his nomination after his past Twitter outbursts against several lawmakers, including those from his own Democratic Party.
Biden agreed to her withdrawal and has indicated that Tanden could be brought into administration in another capacity.
His withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat for one of Biden’s nominees. Eleven of the 23 cabinet candidates requiring Senate approval have been confirmed, most with strong bipartisan support.
“I have accepted Neera Tanden’s request to remove her name from the appointment as director of the Office of Management and Budget,” Biden said in a statement.
The President has indicated that she will have a role to play in his administration.
“I have the utmost respect for her track record, experience and guidance, and I look forward to seeing her take a position in my administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work,” said Biden.
Earlier in a letter to Biden, Tanden said it was “an honor of a lifetime to be considered for this role and for the trust placed in me.” I am writing to withdraw my appointment to the post of Director of the Bureau of Management and Budget, ”she wrote.
“I appreciate the strength with which you and your team at White House worked to earn my confirmation. Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no way forward to getting confirmation, and I don’t want the ongoing review of my appointment to be a distraction from your other priorities, ”Tanden said. in the letter.
“I am extremely grateful for your leadership on behalf of the American people and for your agenda which will make such a transformative difference in people’s lives,” she wrote.
Tanden’s nomination was in jeopardy due to hundreds of her tweets against several Republican and Democratic senators, who in turn vowed to vote against her upon Senate confirmation.
She reportedly deleted more than 1,000 tweets before her confirmation process began. Tanden apologized to senators during its confirmation hearings last month.