© (Andrew Harnik/Pool/AP)FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2021 file photo, Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden's nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), testifies during a Senate Committee on the Budget hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she'll vote against confirming President Joe Biden's nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget. Collins' announcement Monday throws Tanden's confirmation further into doubt. On Friday, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia became the first Democratic lawmaker to oppose Tanden's confirmation. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
Neera Tanden withdrew her nomination to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday, dealing the first Cabinet defeat for President Joe Biden.
The White House announced Tuesday evening that Tanden would back out of the process to become the next budget chief after it appeared increasingly likely that she lacked the votes needed to win confirmation in the Senate.
Biden said in a statement that he accepted Tanden's withdrawal for OMB director and confirmed that she'll instead serve in a role at the White House.
"I appreciate how hard you and your team at the White House have worked to win my confirmation," Tanden wrote in a letter to the president. "Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation, and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities."
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Tanden's presence on Twitter had become a central obstacle to her confirmation with the focus on past tweets criticizing and insulting Republican senators and even some Democrats. Tanden currently serves as president of the liberal think tank the Center for American Progress.
But her nomination became increasingly imperiled after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced his opposition to her nomination. In a 50-50 Senate where Democrats hold a narrow majority, the party can't afford to lose any votes or they must convince Republicans to join them.
With Manchin out, Democrats needed to woo at least one Republican, though most ruled out their support with only GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska's vote potentially in play. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, meanwhile, urged his conference to stick together in opposition of Tanden.
As Tanden's chances for confirmation continued to fade, two Senate committees indefinitely postponed hearings to vote on Tanden - a further ominous sign for her Cabinet nomination.
When pressed about the fate of her nomination over the past week, the White House insisted they continued to support Tanden, who would have become the first Asian American woman to lead OMB, and noted that she was engaging in outreach to senators.
A leading contender to replace Tanden is Shalanda Young, who has already been tapped by Biden to serve as deputy director of OMB. Young previously worked for the House Appropriations Committee and has already garnered support among Senate Republicans.
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