Tanden appointed WH senior adviser

PRO-TRUMP STEFANIK IS GOP HOUSE LEADER

Washington, May 15: Indian-American Neera Tanden has been appointed senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, two months after she withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget due to stiff opposition from Republican senators.

Tanden (50) is slated to join the White House on Monday. She has been entrusted with two tasks — launch a review of the US Digital Service, and plan contingencies that could result from the Supreme Court’s consideration of Republican lawsuits seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act. Tanden is currently the president and CEO of a progressive think-tank, Center for American Progress (CAP).

“Neera’s intellect, tenacity, and political savvy will be an asset to the Biden administration,” CAP founder and director John Podesta said. He said the White House has made remarkable progress combating numerous once-in-a-generation challenges from vaccinating millions of Americans to delivering real economic relief from the Coronavirus pandemic, and from strengthening the Affordable Care Act to tackling climate change.

“Many of these bold policy solutions, which have bipartisan support from voters across the country, were developed and led by Neera at CAP over many years. The administration’s efforts will be magnified with Neera Tanden on the team,” Podesta added.

Washington, May 15: US Republicans on Friday elected congresswoman Elise Stefanik, an outspoken defender of Donald Trump, as their new House conference chair, as the party scrambles to unify amid an explosive debate about its direction. Stefanik, a 36-yearold former moderate representing upstate New York, easily overcame a late entrant to the race and won strong support from the Republican conference in a closed-door vote of 134 to 46.

“My focus is on unity, because that’s what the American people and that’s what our voters deserve,” she said after vaulting into the number three House Republican position — becoming the party’s most powerful woman in Congress.

Tanden previously served as a senior adviser for health reforms at the US Department of Health and Human Services. She worked with Congress and stakeholders on particular provisions of former President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act.

Before that, Tanden was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign.