Biden Nominates Shalanda Young to Head White House Budget Office

Office of Management and Budget acting Director Shalanda Young answers questions during a Senate Budget Committee hearing in Washington on June 8, 2021. (Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden on Wednesday tapped Shalanda Young to head the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Young “has continued to impress me” since being confirmed as the agency’s deputy director and being promoted to acting director, Biden said in a video statement announcing the pick.

Before Biden entered office, Young was clerk and staff director for the House Appropriations Committee.

As is typical for the Biden administration, the White House noted Young would be the first black woman to lead OMB if confirmed by the Senate.

The upper chamber voted 63–37 to approve her as deputy director in March.

“Shalanda will not only be a tremendously qualified director, she'll also be a historic director,” Biden said. If confirmed, “she will join the most diverse presidential cabinet in history,” he added.

OMB helps presidents craft budgets and makes sure agencies are running smoothly.

Biden’s last nominee to head OMB, Neera Tanden, faced significant opposition due to her public criticism while president of the Center for American Progress of senators from both parties.

Tanden withdrew her nomination in early March, telling Biden that “there is no path forward to gain confirmation.”

That was one of the few times Biden hasn’t seen a nominee confirmed. The president in September withdrew the nomination of David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives because of his controversial comments regarding gun ownership restrictions.

Nominees need a simple majority to be confirmed.

The Senate is divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats, but many of Biden’s nominees have received some GOP support.

Biden also nominated Nani Coloretti, a senior vice president at the Urban Institute and a former Obama administration official, to serve as OMB’s deputy director.

If confirmed, Coloretti “would be one of the highest-ranking Asian American, Native Hawaiians, or Pacific Islanders serving in government,” the White House said.

No lawmakers indicated opposition to Young after Biden’s announcement, while many said they support the pick.

“Good call by @POTUS. Shalanda Young is hardworking, fair, and experienced—and she’s the right person to lead the Office of Management and Budget,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said in a statement.

“Having worked with her in the House, I know Shalanda Young to be a strong and respected leader. Her historic nomination is well deserved, and I look forward to working with her when confirmed,” added Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.).