Portman concerned Biden nominee too ‘partisan’
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman said he would support giving a hearing to Presidentelect Joe Biden’s nominee to oversee the Office of Management and Budget even though he is concerned that she is too “partisan” to do the job.
If Republicans win control of the U.S. Senate in the Georgia run-off, Portman would be in line to become chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where Biden’s nominee, Neera Tanden, would face confirmation hearings. He said he would not block a hearing for the former Obama administration official.
But Portman said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday that he considers Tanden to be “problematic as a nominee, and I would hope the Biden Administration would reconsider nominating her.”
“I think it’s very important to have someone who can work with both sides of the aisle,” said Portman, who held the budget post under President George W.
Bush. “She has a very liberal public record and a very partisan series of comments she’s made.”
Portman told The Washington Post that he was concerned about Tanden’s “judgment, based on the Tweets that I’ve been shown just in the last 24 hours ... and it’s the partisan nature.”
Asked by a reporter Tuesday why he was concerned with Tanden’s Tweets but not those from President Donald Trump, Portman deflected back to his comments about Tanden being “very partisan.”
“I just don’t think it’s a good fit for this job,” he said. “If she’s nominated I think she should get a hearing and we should hear her out.”
Since last month’s election, Trump has used his Twitter account to fuel unfounded conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud and refused to concede to Biden.
On Tuesday, Portman said he believed that voter fraud happened during the election but that it was not widespread enough to have changed the outcome of the election.
While Portman has not acknowledged Biden as president-elect, he reiterated points made in a recent op-ed and said that he believes the process should begin on the transition. He has said Biden becoming president is a “likely event,” but has not used the term “president-elect.”
The junior Ohio senator also said he is supportive of measures introduced Tuesday by a bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers that would provide relief from the COVID-19 pandemic. Portman said he believes the package could act as a “bridge” until a vaccine is widely available.
The $908 billion package includes $180 billion in the form of $300-a-week federal supplements to state unemployment and $288 billion for businesses, including the reauthorization of the Paycheck Protection Program from an earlier relief package, according to USA TODAY. The bill is being pushed by a moderate group of senators and the socalled Problem Solvers Caucus in the House, which includes U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican from Rocky River.
Portman said Congress, which has been deadlocked on additional coronavirus relief, needs to pass a bill before adjourning for the holidays.
“I think we need to act now to avoid more pain for our economy, for our families. I’ve viewed this as a bridge this is basically between now and a few months from now when we have the vaccine more readily available,” he said.
rrouan@dispatch.com
“She has a very liberal public record and a very partisan series of comments she’s made.” U.S. Sen. Rob Portman On Neera Tanden’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget