Statement on Stalled Tanden Nomination

The progressive organization that has strongly opposed the nomination of Neera Tanden to be Office of Management and Budget director--issued this statement in response to the news that her nomination has stalled and may soon be withdrawn: "We are heartened that Tanden's nomination has stalled. Mainly due to her well-documented coziness with corporate elites, she is the wrong choice to head a federal agency that is vital in the regulatory process. It strains credulity to contend that she would be a true advocate for the public interest after many years of dutifully serving corporate interests."

Jeff Cohen, co-founder of RootsAction, said: "RootsAction opposed her OMB nomination from the outset. With our encouragement, many thousands of constituents wrote to their senators and urged them to vote against confirmation -- not because of her 'mean tweets' but because of her close funding relationships with corporate titans and foreign governments. What's stunning is the silence from Senate Democrats about the potential conflicts-of-interest raised by her decade of aggressive fundraising from powerful interests."

Norman Solomon, national director of RootsAction, said: "Business-as-usual in Washington means that elite donations are inundating think tanks and members of Congress. Tanden epitomizes a pay-to-play view of governance, which helps to explain why the anti-regulation, anti-union U.S. Chamber of Commerce is supporting her nomination. We need an OMB director without corporate ties that bind. Neera Tanden just doesn't qualify."

RootsAction began its nationwide campaign to defeat the Tanden nomination on Jan. 3:
https://act.rootsaction.org/o/6503/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=227742