Shalanda Young testifies during a March 2 Senate Budget Committee hearing to examine her nomination to be deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Patrick Semansky/AP
Senate Confirms Shalanda Young to Be Deputy OMB Director
She is expected to become acting director.
The Senate voted 63-37 to confirm Shalanda Young to be deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday.
Young was a professional staff member on the House Appropriations Committee for nine years and then served as the Democratic deputy director for the committee and then director. Lawmakers from both parties have been calling on the administration to tap her for OMB director after Neera Tanden withdrew her nomination.
Earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki urged Congress to move quickly on Young’s nomination because, if confirmed, Young could serve as acting head of OMB. President Biden has yet to name a new director nominee.
“There is no doubt that Ms. Young is exceptionally qualified for this role. OMB urgently needs qualified, Senate-confirmed leaders not only to address the current public health and economic crisis, but also to strengthen federal cybersecurity, review regulations and modernize the federal workforce,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. “Her budget expertise, extensive record of bipartisan engagement and deep-rooted understanding and respect for Congress are exactly what is needed.”
Young told the Senate Budget Committee on March 2 that if confirmed, one of the things she hopes to do “certainly within OMB, is to empower and bring a lot of that back to career staff.” She said she would aim “to let them know that we appreciate their service, we trust that they are good stewards of federal policy.”
Then before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on March 4, Young pledged to find budget solutions to avoid future government shutdowns, work on a federal program inventory to cut wasteful and duplicative programs, be transparent with Congress, ensure agencies cooperate with the Government Accountability Office and inspectors general, and bolster fairness in the rule-making process.
The committees reported her nomination favorably on March 10, despite opposition from some Republicans about her remarks on limiting the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for abortions except in the cases of rape or a pregnancy that is endangering the woman’s life.