The NY Times gives the backgrounder on the Biden admin last ditch push for Neeeda Tanden’s chance to become President Biden’s OMB Director….
The President’s Chief of Staff’s Ron Klain’s name is all over this effort….
(Klain advises that Tanden WILL Get a job in the Biden admin no matter what)
Democrats close to the administration said Ms. Tanden had been expecting a level of Republican support similar to Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, who was confirmed with six Republicans joining 50 Democrats in backing him.
But by Thursday afternoon, the fight to confirm Ms. Tanden had come down to whether Mr. Biden’s team could scrounge up a single Republican to support her nomination.
After Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said he would not vote to confirm Ms. Tanden, only one option was left on the table: Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska.
Ms. Murkowski could still vote to confirm Ms. Tanden, but for now the senator is staying mum.
With no overarching concerns over Ms. Tanden’s nomination, the White House focused its time and energy instead on preparing two appointees it had assessed to be its most vulnerable cabinet members: Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico, Mr. Biden’s nominee for interior secretary; and Xavier Becerra, his nominee for secretary of health and human services.
Republican opposition to Ms. Tanden blossomed after Mr. Manchin said he would not support her. Some White House officials viewed those “no” votes as an opportunistic pile-on intended to kill her chances.
Allies of Mr. Biden involved in the process said Mr. Klain — a veteran of political fights, including the 2000 presidential recount in Florida — knew Ms. Tanden’s nomination would be somewhat contentious. But he and others did not expect her tweets to make her more contentious than other potential nominees….
image…ABC News