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Neera Tanden, OMB Nominee Doomed by Tweets, Is Named Biden Aide

Biden Names Neera Tanden to Influential Staff Secretary Job

The White House has named Neera Tanden its new staff secretary, giving the longtime Democratic operative an influential role with close proximity to President Joe Biden. 

A White House official confirmed the appointment, calling the position the central nervous system of the West Wing. The staff secretary job includes controlling the flow of paper in and out of the Oval Office. 

Neera Tanden, OMB Nominee Doomed by Tweets, Is Named Biden Aide

Tanden earlier this year joined the White House staff as a senior adviser after Biden was forced to pull her nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget amid bipartisan opposition. Some of Tanden’s past tweets criticizing Democrats during Donald Trump’s presidency rankled key Democratic senators. 

The White House official said Tanden’s economic, national security and domestic policy expertise would be an asset in her new role, which doesn’t require Senate confirmation. Her appointment was reported earlier by the Washington Post.

During her White House tenure, Tanden has been involved in efforts to help pass Biden’s economic agenda and has worked on the White House response to the Supreme Court’s Obamacare review.

Before entering the Biden administration, Tanden was president of the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, served as a senior adviser to Senator Hillary Clinton. She was also a senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services in President Barack Obama’s administration.

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