Joe Biden nominates Shalanda Young to lead White House Budget office

In an official statement released on November 23, President Joe Biden stated that he has nominated Shalanda Young to manage the White House budget office, with Nani Coloretti serving as Young's deputy. 'Today, it is my honour to nominate two remarkable, history-making women to run the Office of Management and Budget,' Biden said in a video announcement made Wednesday while on vacation on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts for the Thanksgiving holiday. Young, according to Biden, has 'continued to impress' him, during her term as acting director.

Young, if confirmed as budget office Director by the Senate, would be the first Black woman to run the Office of Management and Budget, while Coloretti, a Filipino American, would become one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans in the Biden administration. It would also be the first time that two women of colour would chair the agency, which assists the President in developing an annual budget and oversees how taxpayer monies are spent. For much of the year, Young has acted as acting director of the office.

Biden's first nomination encountered bipartisan criticism

Neera Tanden, Biden's first nomination for the role of director, encountered bipartisan criticism for earlier attacks on lawmakers and eventually withdrew from consideration. She will face her own senate confirmation vote, but she was first confirmed for the acting director's post in March with nearly two-thirds of the vote and the support of several Republicans. Young had the backing of major Democratic leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as a former staff director of the House Appropriations Committee, according to several media reports.

Coloretti now serves on the Bank of the West's management board as an independent director. She is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and a Strategic Advisor to Government Executives with the Partnership for Public Services. She will be joining the government from the Urban Institute, where she is a senior vice president. Biden stated that his nominations are two of the most experienced and qualified individuals to manage the budget office, and he urged the Senate to move expeditiously to confirm them. The director of the Office of Management and Budget is in charge of developing the administration's budget and monitoring a wide range of logistical and regulatory issues across the federal government. 

Image: AP