Biden withdraws cabinet appointment amid Senate opposition

Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he had withdrawn Nira Tandon’s candidacy to lead the budget in the White House in the face of opposition from key senators, the first setback for the new Democratic president, who has a very small majority in Congress.

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I accept Nira Tandon’s request to withdraw her candidacy, ”he said in a statement.

Republican senators, but also a Democrat, have publicly declared themselves against his arrival as director of the Office of Management and Budget at the White House (OMB), a very powerful service, especially those responsible for developing the budget the president wants.

Since the announcement of her appointment, Nira Tanden has come under fire for criticism: Republicans have targeted senators and outraged with old remarks, while progressives close to Bernie Saunders have considered her too centrist.

In the end, it was the more conservative Democratic senator, Joe Manchin, who, in late February, largely denied his chances by announcing that he would not vote for her.

The West Virginia Senator believed his “open political” statements would have a “toxic effect” on relations between Congress and the White House.

The Democrats have a very narrow majority in the upper house, with 50 senators and 50 Republicans. If a tie happens, Vice President Kamala Harris will have one vote to decide the vote.

Presidential nominations require 51 votes to be approved by the Senate. Any Democratic defection must be replaced by a Republican vote.

The White House has therefore turned to some senators, including moderate Republican Lisa Murkowski, to speak on Tuesday, but Independent Senator Bernie Saunders seemed more than lukewarm about the nomination and the moderate Democrat. Kirsten Cinema kept her vote secret.

“I appreciate how hard you and your team worked at the White House,” Nira Tandon wrote in a letter to Joe Biden.

“Unfortunately, it is now clear that there is no way to obtain certification, and I do not want the review of my appointment to be distracted from your other priorities,” she said by withdrawing her candidacy.