Biden nominates Shalanda Young for OMB director

President Joe Biden has nominated Shalanda Young to serve as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, giving her an opportunity to officially take on the role she has been serving in as acting director for the past eight months.

Young received bipartisan support with a 63-37 vote when she was confirmed to the deputy director position in March, and if confirmed as budget director, she would become the first Black woman to hold the post.

"In her eight months as acting director of OMB, she's continued to impress me and congressional leaders as well," Biden said in a pre-recorded video announcing the nomination on Wednesday.

Young previously served as the staff director for Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee, where Biden says she "earned the trust, respect and admiration of Democrats and Republicans alike."

Her nomination comes after months of the position being unfilled after Biden’s first choice, Neera Tanden, withdrew from consideration following bipartisan criticism over her past tweets that attacked members of Congress, and it became clear she did not have enough votes to be confirmed.

Tanden now works in the West Wing after Biden named her White House staff secretary in October.

Young has over 14 years of combined experience in various roles with the House Appropriations Committee, oversaw $1.4 trillion in annual federal funding and played a key role in shaping coronavirus relief legislation.

Biden is also nominating Nani Coloretti for OMB deputy director, which would make her one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans serving in government.

"This will be the homecoming for Nani, who started her career as a presidential management fellow at OMB," Biden said.

Coloretti currently serves as the senior vice president for financial and business strategy at the Urban Institute. She worked in the Obama administration for nearly eight years, including three at the Department of Housing and Urban Development as deputy housing secretary and five years at the Treasury Department.

OMB oversees government spending and these nominations come as implementation of the president’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure law gets underway and as Congress is gearing up to pass the larger $1.75 trillion social spending package that includes many of Biden's priorities like universal pre-K, child care, Medicare expansion, paid family leave and climate change initiatives.

Biden said his nominees are "two extraordinary, history-making women" and urged the Senate to "swiftly confirm them again so they can lead OMB at this important time."