Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Sunday said that he is working with President Biden to find the extra votes needed to confirm Neera Tanden, Biden’s nominee for Office of Management Budget director, after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced his opposition to Tanden’s confirmation.
In announcing his opposition to Tanden’s confirmation on Friday, Manchin said in a statement that the “overtly partisan” statements that Tanden had made about lawmakers on both sides of the aisle would have a “toxic and detrimental impact” on her ability to work with Congress in the role.
Although Manchin’s opposition is likely to tank Tanden’s nomination, CNN reported that Schumer signaled on Sunday that both he and Biden will push forward with their effort to gain at least one Republican vote in favor of getting Tanden into the Cabinet.
SCHUMER moments ago on TANDEN:
"Well everyone heard that one of our Democratic senators Joe Manchin doesn’t want to vote for her, I am working with President Biden to find the extra votes so she can be passed, I think she would be a very good OMB leader."
— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) February 21, 2021
Schumer’s latest remarks on his and the President’s efforts to gain extra votes for Tanden’s confirmation were issued a day after CNN also reported that Tanden has met with 35 senators on both sides of the aisle.
“That outreach, which began moments after she was named, is continuing into next week,” the source told CNN.
Additionally, CNN reported that the confirmation team has also been speaking with outside interest groups, which include Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations, the business community, women business leaders, and labor unions, to bolster support for Tanden’s nomination.
Schumer’s narrow majority in a 50-50 Senate and Manchin’s opposition to confirming Tanden means that the fate of Biden’s OMB nominee falls on whether a Republican senator can throw their support behind Tanden’s nomination.
