The White House says it will not announce a nominee to replace Neera Tanden this week after she crashed out of consideration to head the Office of Management and Budget.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden still hoped to find another position for Tanden after she withdrew her nomination amid opposition among Republicans and some key Democrats in the Senate.
WHITE HOUSE WITHDRAWS NEERA TANDEN’S NOMINATION
“When we have an announcement about the new nominee, we will make that, but again, as we noted in the statement, the president’s looking forward to finding a place for her in the administration and values her experience and her talents,” she said.
Tanden’s withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat of one of Biden’s nominees.
However, her position was precarious after Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and several centrist Republicans declared opposition to her last month because of a history of provocative tweets attacking members of both parties.
Even so, the White House stuck with her until Tuesday. Chief of staff Ron Klain was among her staunchest supporters, insisting the administration was “fighting our guts out” last week and other officials insisting there was “plan b” to replace her.
The fron- runner now is Shalanda Young, a former staff director for the House Appropriations Committee who has the backing of members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
At her Wednesday White House briefing, Psaki told reporters: “You should not expect any announcement on a future nominee this week. Obviously, the president’s schedule is quite full.
“His focus remains on the ‘American Rescue Plan’ and the range of meetings and engagements he has already planned and scheduled.”
