Neera Tanden’s tweets create a political stir in the US after withdrawn nomination

Neera Tanden, US President Joe Biden’s preference for occupying the position of the head of the Office of Management and Budget, has had a controversial history with her tweets, most of which have now been deleted by the former Indian-American cabinet nominee. 

Tanden, who recently pulled out of her nomination as the chief of the crucial budgetary body amid struggles in getting approved by the US Senate after a stalemate vote, was promised another job in the current administration by Biden. This is being noted as the first big political defeat of the US President just months after taking office in January 2021. 

Also Read: Neera Tanden, Joe Biden’s Budget office nominee, withdraws nomination

The 50-year-old over the past years has tweeted about a multitude of American politicians, both liberal and conservative, which many consider being personal in nature. Texas Senator Ted Cruz was compared to a “vampire” while Mitch McConnell was aligned with “Voldemort”, a fictional character of the Harry Potter franchise who plays the antagonist. 

Independent Senator from Vermont and head of the Senate Budget Committee, Bernie Sanders lashed out at Tanden and said, “Your attacks were not just made against Republicans. They were vicious attacks made against progressives—people who have worked with me personally.”

He further added, “At a time when we need serious work on serious issues and not personal attacks on anybody, whether they’re on the left or right, can you reflect a little bit about some of your decisions and the personal statements that you have made in recent years?”

Also Read: Joe Biden’s pick Neera Tanden apologised for her past comments: White House

Tanden, in an attempt to make amends for her statements, said, “It’s really important for me to demonstrate that I can work with others, and I look forward to taking that burden. I apologize to people on either the left or right who are hurt by what I’ve said,” at her Senate approval hearing last month. 

With a total of 11 nominees approved by various Senate committees to serve in the Biden administration, Tanden became the first to fall short of majority votes in her hearing.