Biden Nominee for OMB Offers to Work With GOP After Tweet Row

President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget pledged to work with both parties in remarks prepared for her confirmation hearing on Tuesday after drawing sharp criticism from Republicans for sniping at them on social media.

Neera Tanden plans to underscore her experience in the Obama and Clinton administrations and her background as the daughter of a single mother, an immigrant from India, who relied on food stamps for part of Tanden’s childhood.

Her selection in late November touched off an angry backlash from conservatives over her sarcastic Twitter posts that were directed at prominent Republicans — some of whom would be voting on her confirmation.

She tweeted “Love it,” when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was tagged “Moscow Mitch” for blocking legislation intended to protect elections from foreign interference and criticized Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, for a “pathetically bad faith argument” in supporting the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Senator John Thune of South Dakota said Tanden was a “hard-edged partisan” and a fellow Republican, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, called her selection “radioactive.” But when the Democrats won control of the Senate last month, her path to confirmation became easier.

In her remarks prepared for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel, Tanden said she “would work in good faith with all members of this committee to tackle the challenges Americans are facing; to address duplication or ineffective programs; to be responsive to you and your staff’s inquiries; and to assist the committee in its important oversight role.”

The word “all” was in boldface.

Tanden, who worked on the Affordable Care Act during the Obama years and was an aide to Hillary Clinton from her time as first lady, became the president of the liberal Center for American Progress after leaving government.

She said in the remarks that “the role of OMB director is different from some of my past positions. Over the last few years, it’s been part of my role to be an impassioned advocate. I understand, though, that the role of OMB director calls for bipartisan action, as well as a nonpartisan adherence to facts and evidence.”

Tanden also wrote in the prepared text that “I’m mindful that my path in life would never have been possible without budgetary choices that reflected our nation’s values — many of them made in the very agency I am now nominated to lead.”