Neera Tanden

Neera Tanden (born September 10, 1970) is an American political consultant and government official. She is the president of the Center for American Progress, where she has served in different capacities since 2003.

Neera Tanden
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyShalanda Young (Nominee)
SucceedingRussell Vought
Personal details
Born (1970-09-10) September 10, 1970
Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1999)​
Children2
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Tanden has worked on several Democratic presidential campaigns, including those of Michael Dukakis in 1988, Bill Clinton in 1992, and Barack Obama in 2008. Tanden advised Hillary Clinton's successful 2016 primary campaign and unsuccessful 2016 general election campaign. She was also a senior staffer on Clinton's unsuccessful campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination. During the Obama administration, Tanden helped draft the Affordable Care Act.

On November 30, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would nominate Tanden as the next director of the Office of Management and Budget, subject to Senate approval.[1]

Early life and education

Neera Tanden was born on September 10, 1970,[2][3] in Bedford, Massachusetts,[4] to immigrant parents from India.[5] She has a brother, Raj. Her parents divorced when she was five, after which Tanden's mother was on welfare for nearly two years before obtaining a job as a travel agent.[6][7]

Tanden received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1992[4] and graduated from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1996. At Yale Law School, she was submissions editor for the Yale Law & Policy Review.[8]

As a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, Tanden met her future husband, artist Benjamin Edwards.[5]

Career

Tanden has worked on domestic policy on Capitol Hill, in think tanks, and for various Democratic senatorial and presidential campaigns.

Work with the Clintons

Tanden has been regarded as a Clinton loyalist[9] and personal friend of Hillary Clinton.[10] She worked with President Bill Clinton's campaign on new energy policies, and health-care reform, as associate director for domestic policy in the Clinton White House,[11][12] and as a domestic policy advisor in the First Lady's Office.[13]

In 1999 and 2000, Tanden was deputy campaign manager and policy director for Hillary Clinton during her successful senatorial campaign in New York.[14][15] After the election, Tanden served as Senator Clinton's legislative director from 2003 to 2005.[11][4]

Tanden was Hillary Clinton's policy director for Clinton's unsuccessful bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.[6][16] The New York Times reported that Tanden punched ThinkProgress website editor and future Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign manager Faiz Shakir for asking Clinton about her Iraq War vote, which was unpopular among many Democratic voters.[9]

Tanden was an unpaid adviser to Clinton's successful 2016 primary season nomination campaign and unsuccessful general election campaign in opposition to Republican candidate Donald Trump, while also running the Center for American Progress. After Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, Tanden was named to her transition team.[17] Tanden was considered a candidate for a top White House job, had Clinton won the presidency.[9]

2008 Obama general election campaign

After Barack Obama was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, Tanden was one of the first, and also one of the few, former Clinton campaign staffers to join his team.[18] She was domestic policy director for his successful general election campaign.[16][19]

Obama administration

Tanden served in the Obama administration as senior adviser to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services. She helped to draft the administration's health care legislation, including work specific to its proposed, but later withdrawn, public option.[20][21][22][23] She also negotiated with Congress and stakeholders on several provisions of the bill.[18] She has been described as one of the "key architects" of the Affordable Care Act.[24]

Center for American Progress
Tanden with John Podesta (left) and Governor Martin O'Malley (right)

In 2003, Tanden had a central role in the founding of the Center for American Progress (CAP).[25] Tanden worked as Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy, while also serving as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and, starting in 2010, as Chief Operating Officer.[11]

In October 2011, Tanden succeeded John Podesta as CAP's president and CEO.[26]

In 2016, a hacker obtained access to Podesta's private emails, which included exchanges with Tanden. In one exchange, on August 11, 2015, while discussing news that Harvard University law professor Lawrence Lessig was exploring a bid for the Democratic nomination, Tanden wrote of Lessig, "I fucking hate that guy." Lessig responded to the incident by saying that while he supported whistle blowing and a pardon of Edward Snowden, Tanden should not have to be burdened with having her private emails scrutinized and that it was not in the public interest.[27] Tanden called the release of her personal communications, which often feature her blunt private assessments, a painful experience to endure.[28]

After the 2016 election and Clinton's loss, Tanden refocused the work of the Center for American Progress, aiming to have the think tank, and especially its advocacy arm (the Center for American Progress Action Fund), serve as a "central hub for Trump resistance"[29] as well as playing a leading role in shaping the healthcare debate within the Democratic Party.[30]

In 2018, reports emerged that Tanden had revealed the first name of a CAP employee complaining of sexual harassment.[31]

On April 28, 2020, Tanden was named to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's Restart and Recovery Commission. The Commission was tasked with preparing the state to reopen after its COVID-19 lockdown.[32]

Political views

Tanden has been described by The Washington Post as a "progressive",[18] by Business Insider as a "centrist",[33] and by Vox as "one of the more liberal members of Clintonland".[34] She is regarded as a loyalist and confidante of Bill and Hillary Clinton.[9][35] She credits her experiences growing up relying on government assistance as the reason she has entered politics and the motivator of her career.[36] She is known for her outspoken and prolific Twitter presence, where she has criticized lawmakers both to her political left and right.[37]

Domestic policy

Much of Tanden's work relates to healthcare policy in America. She worked on the passage of the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration.[25] Tanden supports a multi-payer universal healthcare system,[38][39] but opposes single-payer healthcare, including Medicare for All proposals.[40][41]

Tanden has been a critic of the policy proposals and supporters of U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.[42] During the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries, she opposed Sanders's signature proposals of a $15 per hour minimum wage and single-payer healthcare.[43][44]

Libya

Before the U.S.–NATO bombing of Libya, Tanden tweeted her support for Gaddafi's removal.[45]

In October 2011, Tanden suggested (in a private email made public by WikiLeaks) that it "doesn't seem crazy" to her that Libya should "partially pay [the USA] back" with oil for US intervention.[46] Glenn Greenwald noted the similarity to what Donald Trump said about Iraq oil ("I say we should take it and pay ourselves back.")[47]

Syria

In September 2013, when President Obama was considering bombing Syria, Tanden tweeted: "On Syria, while I don't want to be the world's policeman, an unpoliced world is dangerous. The U.S. may be the only adult in the room left." Tanden said she opposed deploying U.S. soldiers to Syria.[45]

Israel

In 2015, when Israeli Prime Minister campaigned against the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal, Tanden, as President of the Center for American Progress, invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak in Washington D.C.[45]

Honors
  • 2012: Tanden was named one of the 25 "Most Influential Women in Washington" by National Journal.[48]
  • 2014: Elle named Tanden one of the ten most powerful women in Washington, D.C.[49][50]

References
  1. Linskey, Annie; Stein, Jeff (November 29, 2020). "Biden hires all-female senior communications team, names Neera Tanden director of OMB". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  2. Shehan, Constance L. (April 30, 2018). Gender Roles in American Life: A Documentary History of Political, Social, and Economic Changes. ABC-CLIO. p. 548. ISBN 978-1-4408-5959-5. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress". Politico. Capitol News Company, LLC. September 10, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  4. McArdle, John (October 20, 2003). "Hillary's Hirings". Roll Call. p. 1. ISSN 0035-788X. ProQuest 326719988.
  5. Wadler, Joyce (October 4, 2000). "The Wonk, er, Woman Behind Mrs. Clinton". The New York Times. ProQuest 91456611. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020. The Democratic Party, the policies that the Clintons and Hillary believe in, I feel like a living example of someone who benefited.
  6. Pant, Nikhila (March 11, 2007). "Hillary is a role model & a friend". The Times of India. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
  7. Associated Press (December 6, 2020). "Biden's pick to head OMB brings experience, Twitter enemies". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  8. "Masthead" (PDF). Yale Law & Policy Review. 13 (2). 1995. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2019.
  9. Williamson, Elizabeth (April 15, 2019). "The Rematch: Bernie Sanders vs. a Clinton Loyalist". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  10. Zengerle, Jason (June 23, 2016). "Don't Mess With Neera Tanden, Hillary Clinton's Self-Appointed Secretary of Defense, on Twitter". GQ. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  11. "Biography: Neera Tanden". Center for American Progress. February 23, 2020. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  12. "New York With Kickoff Sunday, Clinton Hits Airwaves". Roll Call. February 3, 2000. p. 1. ISSN 0035-788X. ProQuest 326713373.
  13. Kamen, Al (October 7, 1998). "Guilt by aspiration". The Washington Post. p. A19. ISSN 0190-8286. ProQuest 408421374.
  14. Nagourney, Adam (September 15, 2000). "Another Clinton War Room, Ready for Battle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  15. Wadler, Joyce (October 4, 2000). "The Wonk, er, Woman Behind Mrs. Clinton". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  16. Tanden, Neera (June 30, 2010). "The New Republic: The GOP's New Diversity". NPR. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018.
  17. Flegenheimer, Matt (August 16, 2016). "Hillary Clinton Puts White House Transition Team in Place". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  18. Horowitz, Jason (May 19, 2013). "Four key Hillary Clinton staffers from 2008 unlikely to sign on for 2016 bid". The Washington Post. ProQuest 1353218259. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020. Unlike many progressive Clinton alumni who had a hard time moving on after Clinton's defeat and held a grudge against Obama, Tanden joined the Obama team and played a key role in the passage of health-care reform...Since leaving the administration, she has become a consistent thorn in the administration's left side as a leading progressive voice.
  19. "Neera Tanden". Institute for Public Policy Research. June 15, 2017. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  20. Greenwald, Glenn (March 12, 2010). "The 'Public Option': Democrats' Scam Becomes More Transparent". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  21. Lamb, Brian (February 1, 2012). "Q&A with Neera Tanden". C-SPAN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  22. Barum, Marcus (September 16, 2009). "White House's Mixed Messages On "Public Option"". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  23. Volsky, Igor (October 5, 2010). "Daschle: Public Option 'Taken Off The Table' In July Due To 'Understanding People Had With Hospitals". ThinkProgress. Center for American Progress. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  24. Berman, Russell (August 16, 2016). "The Clinton Transition Team Takes Shape". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  25. Horowitz, Jason (November 3, 2011). "Think-tank post puts spotlight on veteran Democratic operative Neera Tanden". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2020. On Nov. 1, Tanden assumed the presidency of the Center for American Progress, Washington's leading liberal think tank, which is an incessant advocate for a broad progressive agenda and as such a sharp thorn in President Obama's left side.
  26. McDuffee, Allen (October 24, 2011). "John Podesta stepping down from Center for American Progress". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  27. Golshan, Tara (October 18, 2016). "Lawrence Lessig's classy response to being insulted in John Podesta's leaked emails". Vox. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016. Neera has only ever served in the public (and public interest) sector. Her work has always and only been devoted to advancing her vision of the public good. It is not right that she should bear the burden of this sort of breach
  28. Eder, Steve; Confessore, Nicholas (October 29, 2016). "WikiLeaks Lays Bare a Clinton Insider's Emphatic Cheers and Jeers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016. In a sphere encrusted with suck-ups, soothers, and self-puffery, Ms. Tanden has emerged as a loyal but insistent straight-talker and acute assessor of Mrs. Clinton's stubbornness and weaknesses.
  29. Debenedetti, Gabriel (December 15, 2016). "Center for American Progress focuses on anti-Trump efforts". Politico. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  30. Alonso-Zaldivar, Ricardo (February 22, 2018). "Leading liberal policy group unveils 'coverage for all' plan". AP News. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  31. Mimms, Sarah (April 25, 2018). "The Center For American Progress Staff Was Shocked After Neera Tanden Named The Anonymous Harassment Victim In An All-Staff Meeting". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  32. "Governor's Restart and Recovery Commission". Government of New Jersey. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  33. Relman, Eliza. "Biden's decision to pick Neera Tanden for a top economic role exposes an ongoing rift with Bernie Sanders-allied progressives". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  34. Yglesias, Matthew (May 21, 2016). "Bruenighazi: how a feisty Bernie blogger's firing explains Democratic politics in 2016". Vox. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  35. Thrush, Glenn (August 29, 2016). "Meet Hillary Clinton's anger translator". Politico. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  36. Keith, Tamara (December 3, 2020). "Why Biden Budget Pick Neera Tanden Already Faces Republican Opposition". NPR. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  37. Krieg, Gregory; Nobles, Ryan (December 3, 2020). "Progressives are picking their fights with Biden. Neera Tanden's nomination likely won't be one". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  38. Alonso-Zaldivar, Ricardo (February 22, 2018). "Liberal group proposing plan for health coverage for all". AP News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  39. Werschkul, Ben (November 30, 2020). "'We believe in ensuring that we have fiscal sanity': How Neera Tanden could oversee the budget". Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  40. Tanden, Neera (February 20, 2013). "Think That Think Tanks Can Be Bought? Not So Fast". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  41. Brownstein, Ronald (October 16, 2019). "The Eye-Popping Cost of Medicare for All". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  42. Krieg, Gregory; Nobles, Ryan. "Progressives are picking their fights with Biden. Neera Tanden's nomination likely won't be one". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020. For years, Tanden, Biden's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, has feuded—most frequently and famously on Twitter, where she is prolific and pointed—with Sanders supporters.
  43. Otterbein, Holly (November 30, 2020). "Bernieworld seethes over Tanden as OMB nominee". Politico. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  44. Marcetic, Branko (March 29, 2017). "Democrats Against Single Payer". Jacobin. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  45. Norton, Ben (June 20, 2016). "Donald Trump's Libya policy is strikingly similar to one of Hillary's top surrogates". Salon. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020. Tanden has expressed hawkish views, although in a statement to Salon she strongly opposed being described as hawkish. The New York Times has described Hillary Clinton as more hawkish than her Republican rivals, although it still endorsed her for president.
  46. Cooper, Ryan (November 11, 2015). "Democrats keep getting rolled by Republicans on the deficit. When will they learn?". The Week. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  47. Greenwald, Glenn (November 5, 2015). "Leaked Emails from Pro-Clinton Think Tank Reveal Censorship and Pandering to Israel". The Intercept. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  48. Nhan, Doris (July 13, 2012). "Looking at Washington's Influential Women Through a Lens of Diversity". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020. National Journal set out to find Washington's 25 most influential women and to share what makes them tick. From Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Center of American Progress President Neera Tanden to Susan Molinari, Google's director of public policy and government affairs, Washington's women are in every sector.
  49. Kopan, Tal (March 19, 2014). "Elle: D.C.'s 10 most powerful women". Politico. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020. Fashion magazine ELLE is taking a look at the world inside the Beltway this month, naming the 10 most powerful women in D.C. "We're looking for diversity, and certainly unique and powerful women, but also those women who have something going on right now and that are really sort of very much in the mix of things."
  50. Watters, Susan (March 26, 2014). "Gucci and Elle Honor Women in Washington Power List". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by
John Podesta		 President of the Center for American Progress
2011–present		 Incumbent
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