Potential Swing Vote Republican Senator Announces She'll Oppose Controversial Biden Nominee
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said that she will vote against Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget, further jeopardizing the controversial pick’s nomination.
While most Republicans came out against Tanden almost immediately following her announcement, her nomination became imperiled on Friday after West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said that he would vote against her as well, citing her notorious Twitter feed.
Manchin’s opposition in a 50-50 Senate means that one Republican must vote for Tanden for a successful confirmation.
“Neera Tanden has neither the experience nor the temperament to lead this critical agency,” Collins said in a statement Monday morning.
“Her past actions have demonstrated exactly the kind of animosity that President Biden has pledged to transcend,” the senator said.
The moderate New England Republican also invoked Tanden’s Twitter account, saying that her decision to delete thousands of tweets, some of which personally attacked lawmakers, raised “concerns about her commitment to transparency.”
Before her nomination, Tanden tweeted that Collins was “pathetic” and attacked lawmakers from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
During her confirmation hearing, Tanden apologized for her past comments but was grilled by lawmakers over her repeated personal attacks.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.) comes out this morning against Neera Tanden’s nomination. Very hard to see where White House finds the votes at this point
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) February 22, 2021
Another Republican, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, also announced Monday he would vote against Tanden.
Sen. Mitt Romney will oppose Neera Tanden for OMB director, joining Manchin and Collins as significant votes against the nomination.
Per a Romney spokesperson: pic.twitter.com/kUqTiZByZZ
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 22, 2021
Despite the growing opposition to Tanden, the Biden administration said on Friday that it was still confident that she would get confirmed.
The Senate Homeland Security and Budget committees are expected to vote on her confirmation this week, followed by a full Senate vote if she advances.
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