March 2 (UPI) — Neera Tanden withdrew her name from consideration to be director of the Office of Management and Budget after facing scrutiny over her past tweets critical of lawmakers, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday.
The decision came after Biden lost enough votes in the Senate to confirm Tanden’s nomination. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Tuesday he wouldn’t vote in favor of her.
“I have accepted Neera Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from nomination for director of the Office of Management and Budget,” Biden said in a statement.
“I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work.”
Several senators took issue with Tanden’s past tweets criticizing lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. She feuded with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the past, and compared Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to Harry Potter villain Voldemort.
Lawmakers also questioned her commitment to transparency after she said she deleted some 1,000 posts from Twitter before her nomination.
Tanden, who previously worked as an adviser for former President Barack Obama and at the Center for American Progress think tank, opened her confirmation hearing in February offering an apology for the tweets.
“Over the last few years, it’s been part of my role to be an impassioned advocate,” Tanden told the panel.
“I know there have been some concerns about some of my past languages in social media and I regret that language and take responsibility for it.”
In her letter to Biden on Tuesday, Tanden said it was an honor to be nominated as budget director.
“I appreciate how hard you and your team at the White House has worked to win my confirmation. Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation, and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities,” she wrote.