It was over two years ago now that Neera Tanden was forced to withdraw her consideration for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director when it was clear she did not have the votes to get confirmed. Nevertheless, she has continued to move up in the Biden administration, becoming a senior advisor to President Joe Biden and then White House staff secretary. Now, she's been tapped to lead Biden's Domestic Policy Council, according to Axios.
As the Axios report mentions, this "further boosts Tanden in the White House." Her portfolio will involve hot button issues for the Biden administration, including "economic mobility, racial equity, health care, immigration and education."
The move represents all kinds of shake ups. Susan Rice held the position of leading the Domestic Policy Council before Tanden, and her departure was announced just before the president made his reelection campaign official. Rice is likely to join that 2024 presidential campaign. Tanden will be replaced by Stef Feldman, a senior advisor to Rice who is also described by Axios as "a longtime Biden aide."
"For over two years, Susan Rice has helped craft and implement my domestic policy agenda and our country owes a debt of gratitude for her history-making public service. I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education," Biden said in a statement about Rice and Tanden.
His statement went on to sing her praises even further. "As Senior Advisor and Staff Secretary, Neera oversaw decision-making processes across my domestic, economic and national security teams. She has 25 years of experience in public policy, has served three Presidents, and led one of the largest think tanks in the country for nearly a decade. She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform," the president continued. "While growing up, Neera relied on some of the critical programs that she will oversee as Domestic Policy Advisor, and I know those insights will serve my Administration and the American people well. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Neera in her new role."
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Tanden withdrew after not only Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and then Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) raised concerns about her partisan tweets, including what came through in tweets for all to see, but Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as well. Tanden had deleted over 1,000 tweets, but they still came back to haunt her and ultimately doom her confirmation.
"Neera Tanden" is currently trending on Twitter as many share concerns with her, including but not merely to do with her tweets.
Another funny thing about Neera Tanden is the time she once said the Libyan government should pay the U.S. back in oil proceeds for the pleasure of invading them in 2011.https://t.co/H0ocGrtjif
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 5, 2023
Neera Tanden is replacing Susan Rice as head of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Here's what she had to say about reopening schools in summer 2020. Perhaps the biggest domestic policy challenge in a generation and Tanden got it wrong. https://t.co/VuXibcLzp7 pic.twitter.com/YeJCCXFRyN
— Anthony LaMesa (@ajlamesa) May 5, 2023
Biden appoints Neera Tanden to serve as his Domestic Policy Advisor.
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 5, 2023
Here is what she wrote about Biden in October 2015: pic.twitter.com/MLfwyMQeDK
The thing about Neera Tanden is that she's actually bad at domestic policy. She can't even accurately describe different kinds of universal health care systems. Her passion is the Democratic Party, not domestic policy. Such a bad choice, given unmet social needs in this country.
— Anthony LaMesa (@ajlamesa) May 5, 2023
The adults are back in charge! https://t.co/MdWpmR7YiW pic.twitter.com/NnViC6dSNY
— Philip Letsou (@philipletsou) May 5, 2023
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