Senate Panel Advances OMB Deputy Director for Management Nomination 

On Wednesday morning, a Senate panel advanced President Biden’s pick to be deputy director for management for the Office of Management and Budget to the full chamber.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee took a voice vote (with two recorded “no's” from Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. and Rick Scott, R-Fla.) on Jason Miller. He is a former Obama administration economic adviser and most recently a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and CEO of the Greater Washington Partnership, a nonprofit civic alliance. 

Miller has “an extensive track-record of tackling difficult management challenges and driving innovation both in government and in the private sector,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, ahead of the vote. 

During his confirmation hearing on March 4, alongside Shalanda Young, then-nominee for deputy director of OMB, Miller committed to transparency and improving financial oversight.

Noting that if confirmed, he would be the executive chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, he said, “it's absolutely imperative that OMB repair the relationship with inspectors general and make sure they have the resources and the access necessary to do their jobs.”

The vote comes as the White House is in the middle of the budget process, having released an outline of the fiscal 2022 discretionary spending proposals last Friday. The full version, expected later this spring, will have more details on funding and management priorities. 

Last month Young was confirmed as deputy director of OMB and shortly thereafter became acting director. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki cited not having a confirmed OMB leader as one of the reasons for the delay in releasing the budget preview. 

President Biden has yet to name a new nominee for OMB director after Neera Tanden withdrew her nomination on March 2. 

Correction: This article has been updated to say that there were two recorded "no's" on the nomination.