Neera Tanden is a political consultant who served as senior advisor and Staff Secretary for President Joe Biden. A pioneer at the Center for American Progress, Tanden served as the organization's CEO and president from 2011 to 2021. She then served as the Staff Secretary from 2021 to 2023 and was appointed as the 23rd Director of the Domestic Policy Council on May 26, 2023.

Early Life and Education

Neera Tanden was born on Sept. 10, 1970 in Bedford, Mass. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1992 and a law degree from Yale University in 1996. Tanden worked for the Democratic presidential campaigns of Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

Government Service

Neera Tanden joined the Clinton White House staff in 1977 and served as Associate Director for Domestic Policy and senior policy advisor to the First Lady’s staff. She assisted Hillary Clinton and the Domestic Policy Council on issues including abor💛tion, child care, educat💫ion, and health reform.

Tanden was deputy campaign manager and policy director for Hillary Clinton during Clinton's successful run for state senator of New York in 2000. She served as Senator Hillary Clinton's legislative director until 2005.

Neera Tanden acted as the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign in 2008. She served as a senior advisor for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration where she worked on key provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Tanden was named President Biden's Staff Secretary in 2021, reporting to Ron Klain. President Biden then appointed her to serve as Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor in May 2023. Tanden became the first Asian-American to lead any of the three major White House policy councils with her appointment.

Center for American Progress

Neera Tanden is the former president and CEO of the Center for American Progress. A member since its fo🌊unding in 2003 by John P🧸odesta, Tanden served as CEO before assuming the role of president from 2011 to 2021.

The Center for American Progress is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute that's dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas. CAP tackles issues such as climate change, women's issues, poverty, and gun violence prevention.

CAP received large donations from firms in the financial sector, private foundations, and current or former executives at 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Bain Capital, Blackstone, and Evercore during Tanden's tenure as president. She oversaw contributions from Silicon Valley companies and foundations including Facebook and founder Mark Zuckerberg’sꦗ philanthropic organization.

Office of Management and Budget

President Joe Biden nominated Neera Tanden as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) i𒁃n November 2020. Tanden withdrew her nomination for the post in꧃ March 2021 under pressure and scrutiny.

The OMB acts as the core of the federal government, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:executing the annual spending plan, setting fiscal and personnel policies for agencies, and overseeing the regulatory process across the executive branch. Tanden would have defined policies as OMB director that♊ affect every part of the economy.

Her nomination to the OMB post drew criticism from some progressives and advocates for accountability in government due to her leadership position at CAP where she mingled with donors from Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and foreign entities. Decisions at OMB have implications for a range of U.S. companies, dictating how much they pay in taxes, the barriers they face, and whether they benefit from stimulus programs.

President Biden named her as Staff Secretary in October 2021 and as a senior advisor after Tanden withdrew her name for director of the OMB.

The Bottom Line

Neera Tanden is regarded as a Democratic political consultant who has worked for the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations. She's well known for her work at the Center for American Progress where she oversaw contributions from corporate and private donors most notably as president.