Neera Tanden: Schumer says he’s working with Biden ‘to find additional votes’ to confirm OMB choice

“I am working with President Biden to find the additional votes so that it can pass,” he told reporters at a press conference in New York, mentioning Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who said last week he wouldn’t vote for Tanden. “I think she would be a very good OMB leader,” Schumer added.

Biden said he had no plans to withdraw Tanden’s nomination and believed they would find the votes to have it confirmed.

She has so far met 35 senators on both sides of the aisle, a source involved in the confirmation process told CNN on Saturday. “This awareness, which began moments after his appointment, continues next week,” the source said. She is expected to continue her outreach to lawmakers this week.

Schumer holds a narrow majority in a 50-50 Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris can vote a tie in the chamber, but without Manchin’s backing, Democrats won’t have the votes on their own.

Manchin said Tanden’s comments on social media about Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, made him doubt that she was the right person. Tanden apologized for his comments during a Senate confirmation hearing earlier this month.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Friday that Tanden is “an accomplished policy expert who would be a great budget manager and we look forward to the committee’s votes next week and to continue. to work for its confirmation through engagement with both parties. “

CNN’s Arlette Saenz and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.