Carper Meets with President-Elect Biden’s Nominee to Lead OMB

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after meeting with Neera Tanden, President-elect Joe Biden’s intended nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

“This week I had the chance to meet with Neera Tanden, an experienced policy expert who is qualified and ready to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President-elect Joe Biden at an incredibly challenging time. Neera’s vast understanding of the different working parts of government from her time in the Senate, her experience helping craft the Affordable Care Act at HHS, and her latest role as the CEO and president of the Center for American Progress, will serve as a huge asset as she takes on the role of OMB Director. As the daughter of single mother who relied on programs like food stamps and Section 8 housing, Neera also knows firsthand the important role safety net programs play in helping support families in their time of need. Her lived experience will help keep the needs of families and vulnerable communities top of mind as our government makes critical policy decisions to bring economic relief to American families and get our economy going again. During our conversation today, we discussed the shared responsibility Democrats and Republicans have to come together to enact a cohesive COVID response and OMB’s role in making sure all the tools of government are utilized effectively to deliver for American families and meet the urgency of this moment. Neera understands we are facing a national crisis and that it will take an all hands on desk approach to put an end to this pandemic and restore our economy. 

“There is no shortage of work that we need OMB to get started on quickly. A top priority must be reversing the harmful and far-reaching rollbacks that the Trump Administration has put in place across our federal government over the last four years. As the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), I am particularly concerned about the Trump Administration’s repeated attempts to weaken the environmental standards that protect human health and our environment. Just this month, EPA moved to finalize yet another rule that would prioritize the wellbeing of polluters over the health of Americans. We are also hearing that, in the coming weeks, just as President Trump is leaving office, his EPA will attempt to finalize a rule that would prevent the agency from using the best available science in rulemaking going forward. We need rules that are based in facts and sound science and leaders who will finally respect the advice of career experts.

“I’m confident that Neera Tanden has the policy expertise to do this job well. But I believe it’s her own personal experience that will propel her to ensure our government works better for the people it should serve. I look forward to her nomination being brought before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee swiftly.”