(Washington) Joe Biden announced, Tuesday, the withdrawal of the candidacy of Nira Tandin to lead the budget in the White House in the face of opposition from key senators, which is the first setback for the new Democratic president who has a very slim majority in Congress.
“I accept Nira Tandin’s request to withdraw” his candidacy, he said in a statement.
The Republican but also Democratic senators declared themselves against his arrival as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a very powerful service, especially responsible for developing the budget the president wants.
Since announcing her appointment, Nira Tandin has been the target of mutual criticism: Republicans have said they have been outraged by old comments targeting senators, while progressives close to Bernie Sanders have deemed her too centrist.
In the end, it was the most conservative Democratic Senator, Joe Mansheen, who largely condemned his chances by announcing, at the end of February, that he would not vote for her.
The West Virginia senator believes that his “overt” political statements will have a “toxic effect” on relations between Congress and the White House.
The Democrats have a very slim majority in the Senate, with 50 senators to 50 Republicans. In the event of a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris would have one vote to decide.
Presidential nominations need 51 votes to be approved by the Senate. Therefore, any democratic defection must be compensated for by a Republican vote.
So, the White House vehemently summoned a handful of senators, including the moderate Republican Lisa Murkowski who had yet to speak on Tuesday, while independent Senator Bernie Sanders sounded more than lukewarm about the nomination and a moderate Democrat. .
“I appreciate how hard you and your team work in the White House,” Nira Tandin wrote to Joe Biden, according to a statement.
“Unfortunately, it seems clear now that there is no way to obtain confirmation, and I do not want the review of my appointment to be a distraction from your other priorities,” she added, by withdrawing his candidacy.