The confirmation for Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget is teetering on the edge. Once Democrat Joe Manchin announced he would vote no on her nomination, it became clear getting her approved would be nearly impossible. While President Joe Biden is still backing her for the position, he would need to gain the support of at least one member of the GOP. It’s still unclear whether Tanden has any support on the other side of the aisle. Politico reports that her chances dropped yesterday:
Sens. Susan Collins and Mitt Romney said on Monday they will oppose Tanden to lead the White House Budget Office, dealing a decisive blow to her hopes of confirmation. And Democrats aren’t even sure whether Tanden will receive a vote on the Senate floor.
In explaining his decision to vote no on Tanden, Senator Manchin cited her past “overtly partisan statements” saying they “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.”
But Manchin’s reasoning doesn’t match up with past activity.
The more Joe Manchin explains his reasoning for voting against Neera Tanden, the worse he sounds.
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) February 23, 2021
Rachel Maddow is highlighting a double standard. On her show Monday night she noted that “Manchin as well as a number of Republican senators didn’t seem to have much trouble with the odious Twitter conduct of Richard Grenell when they voted to confirm him as Donald Trump’s ambassador to Germany, but when it comes to President Joe Biden’s OMB nominee, Neera Tanden, they’ve suddenly found a new standard for acceptable tweeting.”
Take a look at what else Maddow said above.
https://twitter.com/KaivanShroff/status/1363983183436521473
The absolute hypocrisy of this #meantweetscandal is just incredible. After 4 years of Trump, really "guys"? Please assess whether @neeratanden is qualified to do the job. Period. That's your assignment. (& free speech is an American value, not a vice.)
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) February 23, 2021