Key senators oppose Biden budget pick, confirmation at risk

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget was thrown further into doubt on Monday as moderate Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah said they would vote against confirming her.

On Friday, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia became the first Democratic lawmaker to oppose the confirmation of Tanden, who would be the first woman of color to lead the agency. With doubts growing about Tanden's chances for confirmation, the White House called her "an accomplished policy expert,” and Biden said he was sticking with her.

Collins, though, said Monday that Tanden has “neither the experience nor the temperament to lead this critical agency,” which heads efforts to ensure an administration’s priorities are reflected in legislation and regulations. Collins blamed Tanden's past actions and said they “demonstrated exactly the kind of animosity that President Biden has pledged to transcend.”

Romney will also oppose Tanden, a spokesperson confirmed, because of her rhetoric on social media.

During her confirmation hearings, Tanden apologized for her prolific attacks against top Republicans on social media. Tanden is a former adviser to Hillary Clinton and served as president of the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress. With the Senate evenly divided between 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats, and with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tiebreaking vote, losing Manchin means Tanden would need support from at least one Republican to win confirmation. Tanden really can’t afford to lose another Democratic vote.

The Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to vote on Tanden’s nomination this week. It’s the first real test that Biden has faced on a nomination, with most of his picks for Cabinet positions...