While Indian-American Kamala Harris made headlines for being the first woman, and a woman of color, to be elected vice president of the United States, Indian-American Neera Tanden is set to set another record. Joe Biden intends to elect her as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a high-level position within the White House responsible for managing the administration’s budget, according to media reports.
If confirmed by the US Senate, Tanden, 50, would be the first woman of color to head the influential White House office. She is currently the executive director of the Center for American Progress, a public policy advocacy and research organization.
Tanden’s nomination is part of Biden’s plan to build a team of liberal and centrist economic advisers to work alongside Treasury Secretary-nominee Janet Yellen, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The nomination of Tanden, Yellen and others is expected to be announced soon, various news reports said.
Here’s more on Tanden, who is believed to run the powerful budget office.
According to The Washington Post, Tanden will be under pressure from conservatives to control public spending, but will likely play a critical role in crafting the Biden administration’s response to the current economic downturn. She was a close ally of Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, and helped pass the Obama Affordable Care Act, she said.
“Another proud day for Indian Americans to see Neera Tanden being nominated for a cabinet-level position in the next administration. This position at OMB is a wide-ranging role with wide powers to manage billions of dollars of the US budget. If anyone had any doubt that our community has arrived politically, this electoral cycle is proof enough, “said MR Rangaswami, founder of the non-profit organization Indiaspora.
Cecilia Rouse, a labor economist at Princeton University, is likely to be named chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. Rouse, an African American, would be the first woman of color to chair the council, which will play a key role in advising the president on the economy, which has been ill since coronavirus
The pandemic hit the country and put tens of millions out of work, The Washington Post said.
Biden also plans to nominate Adewale Wally Adeyemo as undersecretary of the Treasury and appoint Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey as members of his Council of Economic Advisers. The announcement is likely to be made on Tuesday.
The announcement, which will include Biden’s decision to appoint Janet L Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve, as Secretary of the Treasury, will culminate in several women in senior economic positions, including the first black woman to lead the Council of Economic Advisers. The New York Times reported.
With the selections, Biden shows a commitment to diversity in his advisers and sends a clear message that economic policy-making in his administration will be shaped by liberal thinkers with a strong focus on worker empowerment as a tool for growth. economic, the newspaper said.
Brian Deese, a former Obama economic aide who helped lead that administration’s efforts to rescue the American auto industry, to lead the National Economic Council, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
.
