The Senate voted to confirm Shalanda Young to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday in bipartisan fashion, the first OMB leadership position to be confirmed under the Biden administration.

With the withdrawal of Neera Tanden's nomination to lead the office, members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are pushing for Young to take on the director role.

What You Need To Know

  • The Senate voted 63-37 to confirm Shalanda Young to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday

  • After opposing Biden's first OMB director nominee, Neera Tanden, a number of Republicans voted for Young's confirmation and said they would support her to lead the department

  • House Democratic leadership and members of the Congressional Black Caucus are pushing for Young to lead the department as well

  • Young was previously a staff director on the House Appropriations Committee, where she drew widespread bipartisan praise for her role in negotiating bipartisan funding deals

The 63-37 vote signaled wide support on both sides of the aisle. Young drew rave reviews from Republican senators in her confirmation hearing.

"You’ll get my support, maybe for both jobs," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at the time. "Everybody who deals with you on our side has nothing but good things to say. You might talk me out of voting for you, but I doubt it."

"You may be more than deputy," Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA.) told her, adding: "I don’t expect you to comment on that."

Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) also offered his endorsement: "She would have my support, and I suspect many of my Republican colleagues would support her, as well."

True to their word, Graham, Kennedy, and Shelby all voted for Young's confirmation, along with GOP Sens. Blunt (R-MO), Burr (R-NC), Cassidy (R-LA), Collins (R-ME), Cramer (R-ND), Grassley (R-IA), Hoeven (R-ND), Hyde Smith (R-MS), Murkowski (R-AK), and Sullivan (R-AK).

In a statement released earlier this month, House Democratic leaders endorsed her nomination to the director role.

"We have worked closely with her for several years and highly recommend her for her intellect, her deep expertise on the federal budget and her determination to ensure that our budget reflects our values as a nation," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) said in a statement. "Her legislative prowess, extensive knowledge of federal agencies, incisive strategic mind and proven track record will be a tremendous asset to the Biden-Harris Administration."

The Congressional Black Caucus also offered their endorsement of Young in a letter signed by CBC Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and eight other members.

"It is our understanding that Shalanda Young has been thoroughly vetted for the position of Deputy Director and has received excellent reviews from both Democratic and Republican members of the Senate," the letter reads. "Shalanda Young is uniquely qualified to lead OMB and assume the responsibility for developing the President’s budget and supervising the administration of executive branch Agencies."

Young was previously a staff director on the House Appropriations Committee, where she drew widespread bipartisan praise for her role in negotiating bipartisan funding deals. Young would be the first Black woman to lead OMB.

During her confirmation hearings, as Senate President Pro Tem Patrick Leahy (D-VT) recalled lamakers negotiating the end to a 2019 shutdown, which lasted for 35 days, he said: "Fortunately, Shalanda was with us."

"We reached a solution," Leahy added. "That's what Shalanda is best at. She knows how to work across the aisle to get a deal done."

Asian American groups are also reportedly urging the Biden administration to consider Nani Coloretti, the deputy Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Obama, to serve in the role, according to The Washington Post. Coloretti would be the first American of Filipino descent nominated for a Cabinet-level position.

The New York Times reports that Young will be instrumental in helping structure President Joe Biden's first presidential budget and crafting the administration's planned infrastructure bill.