Joe Biden, the President of the United States, will nominate Shalanda Young to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), according to an official source familiar with the matter. Young is currently serving as the acting director of the OMB since the spring, but now the White House will announce her to lead the office officially as the government faces several challenges in implementing its economic plan.
The Senate must confirm her for the OMB director designation, but the Senate approved her current role by a 63 to 37 vote in March with support from over a dozen Republican leaders. The office plays a vital coordinating role in working with federal agencies to direct the implementation of Congress-approved spending programs. However, the Biden government hasn’t had a Senate-confirmed budget director.
Our federal budget should invest in the full potential of the American people. An expert negotiator with extensive knowledge of the federal budget, our new Deputy Director of OMB, Shalanda Young, is ready to get to work. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/b68LEeJCTm
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 26, 2021
In addition, the initial selection of the government for the position, Neera Tanden, was forced to withdraw from the consideration amid criticisms from both Republican and Democratic senators about her previous personal attacks against lawmakers in tweets. Nevertheless, young enjoyed extensive bipartisan support, primarily support from top Democratic leaders. Among some other delays, one of them was some Democratic representatives holding up Young’s nomination because they intended the government to promote more nominees of Asian descent.
The First Woman of Color to Lead the Agency
This fall, Young went on maternity leave, and she would be the first woman of color to head the White House OMB. The former Republican staff director for the Senate Budget Committee and senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, G. William Hoagland, said that the office had gone long without a director when lawmakers put together plans and have Congress act without having a leader.
Source: Web
Until her confirmation from the Senate, Young will continue to serve as acting director. In her eight months in her current position at OMB, she continued to impress President Biden and leaders in Congress. In March, House Speaker Nancy House and top Democratic leaders endorsed Young for OMB director.
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