Washington: Indian-American Neera Tanden understands the struggles of millions of working Americans because she has lived them, said US President-elect Joe Biden, adding that as the head of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) she will always be motivated by what she can do to help those families and create a budget that reflects the values of America.
Speaking in a video message, Biden said, “I have known Neera for a long time. A brilliant policy mind with critical practical experience across government. She was raised by a single mom on food stamps — an immigrant from India who struggled, worked hard, and did everything she could for her daughter to live out the American dream, and Neera did just that.”
He further said that Neera understands the struggles that “millions of Americans are facing and she will be the first woman of colour from South Asia to lead OMB”.
“We also have another one of those women as Vice President of the US. She will be in charge of laying out the budget that will help us control the virus and deal with the economic crisis and build back better. But above all she believes what I believe: A budget should reflect our values,” he added.
Biden’s pick to lead the powerful White House budget office has generated early controversy, emerging as an immediate target for conservatives and Republican lawmakers. Neera is said to have run in trouble with some of the Republican senators due to her comments about certain members of the Senate.