Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) refused to defend Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) nominee, on Monday.
“I don’t have a comment for you,” Sinema told CNN about Tanden. “Not that that surprises you.”
Sinema’s statement comes as Tanden’s confirmation remains imperiled.
After Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced last week that he would not vote to confirm Tanden for the OMB position, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he is continuing to find the votes to confirm her.
“I am working with President Biden to find the extra votes so she can be passed. I think she would be a very good OMB leader,” Schumer said.
Manchin’s opposition to Tanden means that Democrats could not confirm Tanden on partisan lines, as the Senate currently has a 50-50 split. Schumer reportedly is seeking GOP support for Tanden, even though many potential Senate Republicans such as Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) have said they would not vote for her.
“He believes it’s hard to return to comity and respect with a nominee who has issued a thousand mean tweets,” a spokesperson for Romney told reporters.
Tanden, as the president of the Center for American Progress (CAP), publicly attacked Republicans.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has continued to support Tanden despite her dwindling chances of getting confirmed in the Senate.
“Neera Tanden=accomplished policy expert, would be 1st Asian American woman to lead OMB, has lived experience having benefitted from a number of federal programs as a kid, looking ahead to the committee votes this week and continuing to work toward her confirmation,” Psaki wrote Monday.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.