WASHINGTON: Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced Friday he will oppose the confirmation of Neera Tanden, Joe Biden’s pick to lead the budget at the White House, potentially sinking her chances in a setback for the US president.
Tanden, the first woman of Indian descent to be appointed to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has been the target of bipartisan criticism since Biden nominated her in November.
While she has earned the enmity of Republicans through her biting Twitter feed, Tanden has also come under fire from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
“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,” wrote Manchin, a moderate Democrat.
“For this reason, I cannot support her nomination.”
The OMB is a powerful department responsible for developing the president’s budget and evaluating the projects and expenditures of his department secretaries.
The Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate, which has the power to confirm or reject presidential nominations: with 50 seats against 50 Republicans, they can count on the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, who has the power to break the tie.
But with Joe Manchin’s opposition, Tanden will most likely need at least one Republican for confirmation — an unlikely prospect.
Biden showed himself determined on Friday to stay the course. “No,” he replied to reporters who asked him if he was giving up his nomination.
“Neera Tanden is an accomplished policy expert who would be an excellent Budget Director,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Friday, saying she continues to work for her confirmation with “both parties.”
A first test will take place next week with a procedural vote scheduled for Wednesday in the Senate Budget Committee.
Tanden, 50, chief executive of the Center for American Progress, a liberal Washington think-tank, has been an outspoken critic of former president Donald Trump.
Some supporters of Bernie Sanders accuse Tanden of helping former first lady Hillary Clinton thwart the Vermont senator’s 2016 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
During her career, she has focused on implementing policies designed to support working families, foster economic growth and reduce endemic inequalities, Biden’s team said on announcing her appointment.
Biden’s pick to lead the budget in political peril
Biden’s pick to lead the budget in political peril
Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector is a new economic engine between Riyadh and Paris, says ambassador
RIYADH: Culture has become a fundamental pillar in bilateral relations between France and Saudi Arabia, according to the French Ambassador to the Kingdom, Patrick Maisonnave.
Maisonnave noted its connection to the entertainment and tourism sectors, which makes it a new engine for economic cooperation between Riyadh and Paris.
He told Al-Eqtisadiah during the opening ceremony of La Fabrique in the Jax district of Diriyah that cultural cooperation with Saudi Arabia is an important element for its attractiveness in the coming decades.
La Fabrique is a space dedicated to artistic creativity and cultural exchange, launched as part of a partnership between the Riyadh Art program and the French Institute in Riyadh.
Running from Jan. 22 until Feb 14, the initiative will provide an open workspace that allows artists to develop and work on their ideas within a collaborative framework.
Launching La Fabrique as a space dedicated to artistic creativity
The ambassador highlighted that the transformation journey in the Kingdom under Vision 2030 has contributed to the emergence of a new generation of young artists and creators, alongside a growing desire in Saudi society to connect with culture and to embrace what is happening globally.
He affirmed that the relationship between the two countries is “profound, even cultural par excellence,” with interest from the Saudi side in French culture, matched by increasing interest from the French public and cultural institutions unfolding in the Kingdom.
Latest estimates indicate that the culture-based economy represents about 2.3 percent of France’s gross domestic product, equivalent to more than 90 billion euros ($106.4 billion) in annual revenues, according to government data. The sector directly employs more than 600,000 people, making it one of the largest job-creating sectors in the fields of creativity, publishing, cinema, and visual arts.
Saudi Arabia benefiting from French experience in the cultural field
Maisonnave explained that France possesses established cultural institutions, while Saudi Arabia is building a strong cultural sector, which opens the door for cooperation opportunities.
This comes as an extension of the signing of 10 major cultural agreements a year ago between French and Saudi institutions, aiming to enhance cooperation and transfer French expertise and knowledge to contribute to the development of the cultural system in the Kingdom.
He added that experiences like La Fabrique provide an opportunity to meet the new generation of Saudi creators, who have expressed interest in connecting with French institutions and artists in Paris and France.
La Fabrique encompasses a space for multiple contemporary artistic practices, including performance arts, digital and interactive arts, photography, music, and cinema, while providing the public with an opportunity to witness the stages of producing artistic works and interact with the creative process.
