Senator split on Cabinet choices
WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Wednesday that he’ll vote to confirm New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, clearing the way for her likely approval as the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency.
Manchin, a moderate from West Virginia, had been publicly undecided through two days of hearings on Haaland’s nomination by President Joe Biden. Manchin caused a political uproar last week by announcing plans to oppose Biden’s choice for budget director, Neera Tanden, a crucial defection that could sink her nomination in the evenly divided Senate.
By contrast, Manchin said Haaland had earned his vote, despite disagreements over drilling on federal lands and the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
“While we do not agree on every issue, she reaffirmed her strong commitment to bipartisanship, addressing the diverse needs of our country, and maintaining our nation’s energy independence,” Manchin said in a statement.
Haaland’s House colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young, praised Haaland’s bipartisan accomplishments and “sincere willingness to work collaboratively on important issues,” Manchin said.
Meanwhile, the White House stood by Biden’s choice of Tanden to lead the White House budget office, even as she faced new hurdles Wednesday after two Senate committees postponed consideration of her nomination.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tanden and the White House had been in touch with senators and advocacy groups to answer any questions they may have on her nomination.
“We’re fighting for her nomination,” she said. “She’s an expert whose qualifications are critical during this time of unprecedented crisis.”
Two Senate panels slated to vote on Tanden’s nomination, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Budget Committee, postponed business meetings scheduled for Wednesday, the latest signal of the challenges Tanden faces in her confirmation fight.
Tanden’s nomination ran into trouble soon after Biden announced it, and her confirmation was thrown into doubt over the last week after Manchin said he couldn’t support her, citing her controversial tweets attacking members of both parties.
Tanden needs 51 votes in an evenly divided Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris acting as a tiebreaker. That means the White House can’t afford to lose a Democratic vote, and one key centrist Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, has yet to announce her position on Tanden.
Without Manchin’s support, the White House has been left scrambling to find a Republican to support her.
After three key moderate Republican senators said in recent days they would vote against her, the White House has faced daily questions about Tanden’s path to confirmation.
Asked Tuesday about the prospects of Tanden winning Senate confirmation, Biden said, “We’re going to push. We still think there’s a shot, a good shot.”