Conservatives strongly oppose the confirmation of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

It is critical that the OMB director lead the agency with sound judgment, as well as bipartisan civility. Tanden has shown neither.

A 2018 report found Tanden mishandled the personal details of a sexual harassment allegation at the Center for American Progress, the organization which she led. She is also accused of pushing or hitting a reporter during her tenure as a senior aide to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

As House Budget Committee Republicans recently noted, “it would be the height of irresponsibility to put someone with this documented managerial record in the top leadership role at a major federal agency, responsible for hundreds of civil servants, putting at risk the rights and protections guaranteed to the employers of OMB.”

Tanden also has significant financial ties to Wall Street financiers, Silicon Valley, defense contractors, the health care industry, and foreign governments – all of whom made substantial donations to Center for American Progress under Tanden’s leadership. These companies include, but are not limited to, Facebook, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Evercore, Walmart, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Northrup Grumman, and Devry Education Group. Such entanglements raise concerns of who would have access and influence to OMB under her watch.

Finally, Tanden has also demonstrated deeply partisan behavior, regularly taking to social media to attack Republican office holders rather than work with them to build coalitions toward public policy goals. She has called Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) “the worst,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) “a fraud,” stated that “vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz,” and called Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “Moscow Mitch” and “Voldemort.” She has publicly insinuated that Russia helped the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Tanden has also stated that Republican Party’s “capacity for evil knows no bounds.”

Neera Tanden has not demonstrated the judgment, civility, or disposition to lead one of the most important offices of the executive branch. We believe her tenure would be marked by more naked partisanship and influence peddling than fair mindedness and sober diligence toward the well-being of all Americans. We urge Senate Republicans to strongly oppose her confirmation.

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