Joe Biden Faces First Major Senate Defeat After Joe Manchin Opposes Neera TandenCharlie Spiering
19 Feb 2021
President Joe Biden faces his first major defeat in the Senate as his nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget Neera Tanden meets Democrat opposition.
Sen. Joe Manchin, (D-WV) announced Friday afternoon that he would oppose Tanden’s confirmation.
“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 in a statement.
The news broke while Biden was traveling to Michigan on Air Force One to visit a Pfizer vaccine manufacturing plant.
When reporters asked Biden as he exited Air Force One if he would pull the Tanden nomination, he replied, “No.â€
“I think we’re going to find the votes to get her confirmed,†he continued.
The White House said in a statement that they would continue pushing for Tanden’s confirmation.
“Neera Tanden is an accomplished policy expert who would be an excellent Budget Director and we look forward to the committee votes next week and to continuing to work toward her confirmation through engagement with both parties,†said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
But the 50-50 party split in the Senate means that Biden’s effort to confirm Tanden is likely finished unless a Senate Republican can be convinced to support her.
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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/19/jjoe-biden-faces-first-major-senate-defeat-after-joe-manchin-opposes-neera-tanden/