iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Indian-origin political consultant Neera Tanden was named the White House staff secretary on Friday, 22 October, putting her in a key ‘behind-the-scenes’ role.
Neera Tanden, 51, will be the first Indian-American and the first person of color to hold the position.
Tanden succeeded in attaining a senior White House position after Biden’s attempt to appoint her as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ran aground on her history of controversial social media posts.
The White House was forced to withdraw Tanden’s nomination as director of OMB in March after several senators, including Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), made it clear they would not vote to confirm her, pointing to harsh comments she had made on social media and in leaked emails.
While Tanden went on a Twitter scrubbing spree, removing over 1,000 tweets in the hope of sanitizing her public image for the Senate, it was too little and too late for the sharp-tongued Democratic fixture.
She currently serves as a senior advisor to US President Joe Biden.
Tanden will now be at the center of flow of information between President Biden and the senior White House advisers and will facilitate presidential decision-making.
Before her White House appointment, Tanden served as head of the Center for American Progress, a centrist Democratic think tank. She also worked as a senior adviser within the Department of Health and Human Services under former President Barack Obama.
Tanden has been a long-time supporter of the Clinton wing of the Democratic Party, having worked as an associate director for domestic policy focused on healthcare during Bill Clinton’s presidency while also serving as an adviser to Hillary Clinton when she was first lady.
A White House official described Tanden’s new role as “the central nervous system of the White House”, reported The Indian Express.
“Neera has over two decades of experience in policy and management which are critical elements of the role. Her experience across domestic, economic and national security policy will be a key asset in this new role,” the official said.
She started her career as an associate director for domestic policy in former president Bill Clinton’s White House and also worked as a senior policy adviser to the first lady.
Neera Tanden will be replacing Jessica Hertz who recently announced her decision to step down from her role.
She was born in Massachusetts in 1970 to parents from India, who divorced when she was five. Tanden and her brother were brought up by their mother.
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