Biden's Budget Chief pick Meera Tanden fails to garner Senate votes in 1st cabinet defeat

US president Joe Biden on Tuesday ditched his plan to appoint Indian-American Neera Tanden as White House budget director after pushback from key senators, marking his first cabinet defeat.

Tanden's nomination collapsed when centrists on both sides of the political aisle said they were not going to vote in her favour. The decision was likely taken into consideration with her previous tweets denigrating lawmakers, including some who were in charge of voting on her confirmation.

"I have accepted Neera Tanden's request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget," Biden said in a statement. "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," he added.

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Tanden withdraws nomination 

Tanden, 50, who currently heads a progressive think tank, failed to mark her position after one Democrat and many Republicans in the Senate refused to vote for her. "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, wrote Biden in her letter as she withdrew her nomination.

Her withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat of one of Biden's nominees. Eleven of the 23 Cabinet nominees picked by Biden received Senate approval, most with strong bipartisan support, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. Two more names were confirmed on Tuesday: Council of Economic Advisors chair Cecilia Rouse, the first Black person to serve in the position, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

READ | Neera Tanden Withdraws Her Nomination As White House Budget Chief

The defeat of Tanden reveals the extraordinary power that lies in the hands of a single moderate Democrat, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who announced last week that he would oppose her.

In the equally divided Senate, Biden needs the entire Democratic caucus to shake hands on nominations and critical pieces of legislation if they do not earn Republican support. 

Later this week, the Senate is expected to vote on the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package. The bill has not been supported by any of the Republicans. 

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