House Democratic leaders back Shalanda Young for OMB director after Tanden nomination withdrawal

KEY POINTS

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn endorsed Shalanda Young for director of the Office of Management and Budget.
• The move comes a day after President Biden withdrew his nomination of Neera Tanden for OMB director at her request.
• Young is Biden's pick for deputy budget director and has served as a top aide on the House Appropriations Committee.

Shalanda D. Young, nominee to be deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, is sworn into her Senate Budget Committee confirmation in Dirksen Building on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

House Democratic leaders endorsed Shalanda Young on Wednesday for director of the Office of Management and Budget.

The move by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn came a day after President Joe Biden withdrew his nomination of Neera Tanden for OMB director at her request.

Young is Biden's pick for deputy budget director and a former top Democratic aide on the House Appropriations Committee.

"We have worked closely with her for several years and highly recommend her for her intellect, her deep expertise on the federal budget and her determination to ensure that our budget reflects our values as a nation," Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn said in a statement.

Tanden, president of left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress, drew pushback during her confirmation process over her prior critical remarks of lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

That criticism was archived in the more than 1,000 tweets that Tanden reportedly deleted before the confirmation process began.

Three senators — Joe Manchin, D-W.V., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Susan Collins, R-Maine — said they would vote against her, effectively killing her chances of winning the nomination.

Tanden's withdrawal makes her the first Biden Cabinet nominee to fail to win Senate approval.

In a Senate Budget Committee hearing Tuesday, Young received praise from Democrats and Republicans alike as Tanden's nomination appeared increasingly unlikely.

"You'll get my support, maybe for both jobs," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Young.

"You may be more than deputy," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said during the hearing.

Young does not have a Twitter account.

The White House has not yet named a new nominee for the OMB director role.

"You should not expect any announcement on a future nominee this week," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki at a briefing Wednesday.