Biden Nominates Indian-American Tanden to Top White House Post

Tanden, 50, is likely to be appointed as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

(Photo: Facebook/Neera Tanden)

Adding yet another shot in the arm of the Indian American community, US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday, 30 November, announced that Neera Tanden was his pick to be the next Office of Management and Budget director, CNN reported.

Tanden, 50, is to be appointed as Director of the Office of Management and Budget – a crucial department responsible for managing the upcoming administration’s budget.

Should Tanden’s appointment be sealed, she would script history by becoming the first woman of colour to hold the position.

Presently the Chief Executive of the left-leaning Center for American Progress, Tanden’s nomination could well fit into Biden’s attempts at stitching together a team of liberal and Centrist economic advisers.

More Nominations

Apart from Tanden, Biden also nominated Princeton University labour economist Cecilia Rouse as chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers. An African-American, Rouse, too, will be the first woman of colour to chair the council.

Meanwhile, Biden also named Janet L Yellen, the former Federal Reserve chair, as Treasury secretary, The New York Times reported.

Together, the council is expected to aid and advise the President on the US economy, which has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to these women, the two other nominees to Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey, are economists who are in favour of policies to advance workers and labour rights, reported The New York Times.

(With inputs from Reuters)