Tweeted to defeat: Neera Tanden withdraws in first high-profile Biden flop

Her nomination first came into doubt when Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin came out against her last month.

By Associated Press and World Israel News Staff

Death by tweet. Neera Tanden, the woman who out-tweeted Trump, has withdrawn her nomination as President Joe Biden’s pick to head the Office of Management and Budget. It was her own tweets that defeated her.

A Clinton loyalist and head of the liberal think-tank Center for American Progress, Tanden had a knack for acerbic tweets that targeted both Republicans and progressives, gaining her enemies from both sides when she faced confirmation hearings.

Her withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat of one of Biden’s nominees. Thirteen of his 23 Cabinet nominees requiring Senate approval have been confirmed, most with strong bipartisan support.

Tanden’s nomination was first thrown into doubt when Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin came out against her last month.

“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 [Bernie] Sanders to Senator [Mitch] McConnell and others,” Manchin said.

Moderate Republicans like Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins chimed in. Collins cited Biden’s own standard of conduct in opposing Tanden, declaring in a statement that “her past actions have demonstrated exactly the kind of animosity that President Biden has pledged to transcend.”

Biden sent the message, at least publicly, that he would stand by Tanden through thick and thin. Press secretary Jen Psaki noting Tanden’s “decades of experience” in defending the pick.

“We will continue of course to fight for the confirmation of every nominee that the president puts forward,” Psaki insisted.

However, it’s not clear how much actual support Biden gave Tanden with several senators saying they hadn’t heard from the White House, typically part of the effort to gin up support for a nominee.

When the White House saw they didn’t have the 50 votes necessary to confirm Tanden, Biden’s support evaporated.

Tanden’s withdrawal leaves the Biden administration without a clear replacement. The apparent front-runner on Capitol Hill to replace Tanden is Shalanda Young, a former staff director for the House Appropriations Committee who has been actively pushed by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Other names mentioned include Ann O’Leary, a former chief of staff for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Gene Sperling, who served as a top economic adviser to both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.