WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Tuesday withdrew the nomination of Neera Tanden to head its budget office, bowing to political reality as her selection ran into stiff opposition over tweets that upset lawmakers.
“I have accepted Neera Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from nomination for director of the Office of Management and Budget,” President Joe Biden said in a short statement.
Biden said, however, that he planned to have her serve in his administration in some capacity.
In a letter to the president released by the White House, Tanden acknowledged her nomination had become more than an uphill climb.
“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,” Tanden said.
(Reporting by Eric Beech and Nandita Bose; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Peter Cooney)
