Neera Tanden, President Biden’s choice for director of the Office of Management and Budget, was immediately faced with concerns about her nomination from both parties when she appeared before the Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday.
Leaders from both ends of the political spectrum have called out Tanden for personal attacks and statements she has made on social media. In addition, committee chair Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Said he was concerned about the millions of dollars that the Center for American Progress that Tanden used to run has received from large corporations and special interest groups.
“So before voting on your nomination, it is important for me and the members of this committee to know that the donations you bring in from CAP will not influence your decision-making at the OMB,” Sanders said in his opening remarks.
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Leader Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., then said he doesn’t care where CAP’s money came from, but he is concerned about some of Tanden’s earlier statements.
‘You’ve been a very biased figure, you’ve been a very tough figure when it comes to political discourse, and that’s okay too. But calling Mitch McConnell ‘Moscow Mitch’ is probably not a good thing to say. ‘
Graham also quoted Tanden as saying that “the GOP’s ability to do harm knows no bounds.”
The GOP leader then noted that Tanden’s “disdain was not limited to Republicans,” referring to a tweet saying, “Russia has done much more to help Bernie than the random internal emails from the DNC to help Hillary.”
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“The point I’m trying to make here,” said Graham, “is that in an age of unity, we pick someone who throws sharp elbows, and there will be a consequence.”
In her opening statement, Tanden addressed her earlier comments, saying that “it has been part of my role in recent years to be a passionate attorney.” She said she regrets her past language and has “expressed regret to Senator Sanders and other members of this committee.”
Sanders then asked Tanden directly about her previous statements to kick off the question-and-answer portion of the hearing.
A divided image of Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, at a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, February 10, 2021. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, Pool)
((AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, Pool))
“I think most of us understand the importance of debating the issues and try to minimize the number of personal and malicious attacks that seem to be occurring all over this country today,” Sanders said before saying that He had received a letter from Republicans expressing concern about Tanden’s past attacks.
“But of course your attacks weren’t just against Republicans,” Sanders said. “There were brutal attacks against progressives, people I’ve worked with, me personally. So if you come before this committee to take on a very important role in the United States government, at a time when we are serious. have to work on serious issues and not personal attacks on anyone, be they left or right, can you think a little about some of the decisions and the personal statements you’ve made over the years? “
Tanden said she now sees the damage her statements have done and feels “bad” about it.
“And I really regret it and I recognize that it is very important to me to show that I can work with others and I look forward to taking that burden and I apologize to the people on the left or right who have been hurt by what I’ve said., ‘she added.
Sanders said it’s not about whether people are hurt by Tanden’s words, but by the words themselves.
“It’s not a matter of getting hurt, we’re all big boys,” said Sanders. “But it is important that we carry out the attacks to express our differences in policy, that we do not have to carry out personal attacks, regardless of the views that someone has. So we can assume that as the director of the OMB we are approach if you are appointed than you have followed at CAP? “
“Absolutely,” said Teeth.
Sanders once opposed raising the millions of dollars in CAP he received from large companies led by Tanden, which represented “some of the most powerful special interests in our country.” He said the group has received $ 5.5 million from Walmart, $ 1.4 million from Google, $ 900,000 from Bank of America, $ 800,000 from Facebook, and $ 550,000 from Amazon since 2014.
Tanden assured Sanders that these donations will “have no impact on my decision making” and that she will act on behalf of “the interests of the American people.”
The hearing on Wednesday was Teeth’s second on consecutive days. On Tuesday, she appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where she was also confronted with her past statements.
Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, was the first Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee to question Tanden, and immediately brought up Tanden’s posts, many of which she removed late last year.
“I believe the tone, content and aggressive bias of some of your public statements have contributed to the troubling trend of more rudeness and division in our public life, and in your case, I am concerned that your personal attacks on specific senators will make it more difficult for you to work with them, ”said Portman.
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Portman went on to quote several examples of Tanden’s statements, including calling Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, ‘the worst’ and Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., A ‘fraudster’ who said that ‘vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz, ‘and referring to then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., As’ Moscow Mitch’ and ‘Voldemort’, referring to the Harry Potter villain.
“I recognize the concern,” Tanden replied. “I regret and apologize for my use of language – part of my former language. I recognize that this role is a dual one, and I know I need to gain the trust of senators across the board. I will be very aggressive to address that concern. “