By Kenneth Tiven in the US
Two of the most prominent Indian-Americans nominated for high-level positions in the Biden Administration are facing some stiff headwinds against confirmation by the US Senate.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, nominated for a second term as US Surgeon General (in the Obama Administration) has been criticized for consulting work on pandemic issues that apparently generated fees of several million dollars, all of which he disclosed on required ethics forms. Neera Tanden ‘s appointment to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is in trouble because of her forthright written and spoken comments about politics in the past decade. They are two of the most high profile Indian-American nominations made by President Biden, now under scrutiny by the US Senate.
These are high-risk nominations because the Democrats have majority control by the thinnest possible margin. With the US Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, many high level appointments requiring senate confirmation turn the process into something approximating a mugging. In the event of a deadlock, the tie-breaking vote comes from Vice President Kamala Harris. However, there is one Democrat who dislikes both nominees, for different reasons apparently. This gives Joe Manchin, a senator from West Virginia, enormous leverage with the Biden Administration. Manchin, a long time conservative Democrat, has a reputation as an astute negotiator on behalf of his rural and poor state.
Is Manchin offering Biden a “Sophia’s Choice?” You can have one or the other but not both. Biden says he can get the votes to put Ms. Tanden into the OMB position, an extremely powerful position measures and establishes limits on all government spending. However, Manchin says he opposes her for speaking out while running a think tank on economic issues as well as her disparagement in 2016 of Senator Bernie Sanders. “I believe her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget. For this reason, I cannot support her,” he said.
Tanden has appeared before two Senate committees, but neither has voted on sending her nomination to the full Senate for a vote. Dr. Murthy has so far declined to comment on his financial disclosures. Biden administration officials defended the nomination. In Murthy’s case Manchin opposed his initial appointment to be Surgeon General in 2014 because Murthy believes gun violence is a public health issue. Manchin’s state has a substantial population of hunters, ergo, Manchin is against any consideration or regulation of gun ownership. This time a spokesman says, “Minchin “has not decided how he will vote on Dr. Murthy’s nomination.” It was health policy experts who latched on to Murthy’s financial disclosures, raising questions about his credibility on the pandemic if he has consulted for large corporations.
Tanden’s parents immigrated to the US where she was born in 1970 in Massachusetts. She has a law degree from Yale University. Murthy was born in the United Kingdom but moved to Canada when his father, also a medical officer took a position there. When he was a three year old they moved to Miami, which has weather more in keeping with Karnataka, where his parents grew up. After graduating as valedictorian of his high school, Murthy attended Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude, before earning a medical degree from Yale University.
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