Neera Tanden Appointed Domestic Policy Adviser After Failed OMB Nomination in 2021
President Joe Biden announced on May 5 that Neera Tanden, the White House staff secretary, would be elevated to the position of domestic policy adviser, replacing Susan Rice.
The White House also included in the announcement that Zayn Siddique will be appointed as Principal Deputy of the Domestic Policy Council, and Stefanie Feldman will take over as White House staff secretary.
“I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education,” the president said. “As Senior Adviser and Staff Secretary, Neera oversaw decision-making processes across my domestic, economic and national security teams.
Biden noted Tanden’s history of work in his administration, the Obama administration, and beyond. He highlighted her 25 years of experience in policy, serving under three presidents and in some of the nation’s largest think thanks.
“She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform … I look forward to continuing to work closely with Neera in her new role.”
Tanden previously made headlines when she was nominated to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2021.
However, because of her public criticism while president of the Center for American Progress, Tanden confronted significant opposition from senators of both parties.
Tanden withdrew her nomination in early March 2021, telling Biden in a letter that “it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation” and that she didn’t want her nomination “to be a distraction from [his] other priorities.”
Biden accepted her request and indicated that she would be selected for another role in his administration.
“I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience, and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my Administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work,” the president said in a 2021 statement.
When Tanden was preparing for the OMB nomination, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced that he would oppose it because of her partisan statements directed at legislators on both sides of the aisle. She also drew the ire of a number of Republican senators.
Tanden’s statements included labeling Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) a “fraud” and accusing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of having ties to the Russian government.
She also wrote in an essay that the opposition to contraception was “successful as a political cudgel, helping isolate extreme anti-choice advocates from the mainstream.”
Janita Kan contributed to this report.
