Washington, D.C. — Today, President-elect Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Center for American Progress President and CEO Neera Tanden to the position of director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). John Podesta, founder and director of CAP, released the following statement:
Having worked alongside Neera for decades—first in the White House and then at CAP, where she played a pivotal role in the founding of the organization in 2003—I know that she will be an exceptional fit for the position of OMB director. Neera is a remarkable leader with a brilliant mind for policy, serving as a key architect of the health care law that has expanded coverage to millions of Americans and protected tens of millions more with preexisting conditions. Her expertise and broad knowledge on so many issues will benefit all Americans as President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and the entire Biden administration work to heal the deep economic wounds created by the coronavirus pandemic, expand access to health care, combat climate change, and more. As the daughter of immigrants who was raised by a single mom, Neera is deeply familiar with the struggles of everyday people and the role that government can play in building a strong, just, and equitable economy that makes it possible for everyone to achieve great success. I am excited to support her nomination for the position of OMB director and look forward to watching her continued leadership on the most important policies affecting our country today.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD), chair of the CAP board of directors, added the following statement. Daschle has served on the board since 2008 and assumed the role of chair in 2014:
The Biden transition team has made an excellent decision to select CAP President and CEO Neera Tanden as their nominee for the position of OMB director. The OMB director not only sets and produces the president’s budget but also coordinates policy across the entire administration—and for this role, I can think of no one better than Neera. Throughout her distinguished career—at the White House, on Capitol Hill, and at CAP—Neera has laid the groundwork for numerous policy successes on the state, local, and federal levels, including the enactment and defense of one of the most important progressive domestic policy achievements of the modern era, the Affordable Care Act. I know she will be a stellar director of OMB, and I am pleased to support her nomination wholeheartedly.
In addition to serving as president and CEO of CAP, Tanden also serves as CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. She focuses on how both organizations can fulfill their missions to expand opportunity for all Americans. Tanden has also served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations as well as on presidential campaigns.
Before leading American Progress, a position she assumed in 2011, Tanden was the organization’s chief operating officer. She previously served as senior adviser for health reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that role, she developed policies around reform and worked with Congress and stakeholders on particular provisions of then-President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act.
Prior to that, Tanden was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, where she managed all domestic policy proposals. Tanden also served as policy director for Hillary Clinton’s first presidential campaign, where she directed all policy work and oversaw the debate preparation process for then-Sen. Clinton (D-NY).
Before the 2008 presidential campaign, Tanden served as legislative director in Sen. Clinton’s office and deputy campaign manager and issues director for Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign. She began her career as an associate director for domestic policy in former President Bill Clinton’s White House and senior policy adviser to the first lady. Tanden received her Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and her law degree from Yale Law School. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and their two children.
For more information or to speak with an expert, pleasee contact Allison Preiss at [email protected].