Neera Tanden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neera Tanden
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Official portrait, 2021
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| 23rd Director of the Domestic Policy Council | |
| In office May 26, 2023 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Zayn Siddique |
| Preceded by | Susan Rice |
| Succeeded by | Vince Haley |
| Senior Advisor to the President for Health Care Policy and the U.S. Digital Service |
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| In office May 17, 2021 – May 25, 2023 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Jared Kushner Stephen Miller Ivanka Trump |
| Succeeded by | Annie Tomasini |
| White House Staff Secretary | |
| In office October 25, 2021 – May 25, 2023 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Michael Hochman |
| Preceded by | Jessica Hertz |
| Succeeded by | Stefanie Feldman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 10, 1970 Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Ben Edwards
(m. 1999) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Neera Tanden (born September 10, 1970) is an American political advisor and government official. She served as the director of the United States Domestic Policy Council from 2023 to 2025.
Before that, Tanden was a senior advisor and staff secretary to President Joe Biden. She worked for President Biden from 2021 to 2023. She also led the Center for American Progress (CAP), a group that studies and promotes policy ideas. She worked there from 2003 until she joined the Biden administration in 2021.
Tanden has worked on several Democratic presidential campaigns. These include campaigns for Michael Dukakis in 1988, Bill Clinton in 1992, and Barack Obama in 2008. She was a key staff member for Hillary Clinton when Clinton ran for and served as a U.S. Senator from New York. Tanden also advised Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2016. In the Obama administration, Tanden helped create the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a major healthcare law.
In November 2020, President-elect Joe Biden wanted to nominate Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). However, she later asked for her nomination to be withdrawn. This happened after some senators said they would not vote for her. In May 2021, Tanden became a senior advisor to President Biden. She was later named the White House Staff Secretary in October 2021. In 2023, Tanden took over from Susan Rice as the Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council.
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Early Life and Education
Neera Tanden was born on September 10, 1970, in Bedford, Massachusetts. Her parents came from India. She has one brother, Raj. Her parents divorced when she was five years old. After that, Neera's mother, Maya, received government help for almost two years. Then, her mother found a job as a travel agent.
When she was considered for a top government job in 2020, Tanden said that her life's journey was only possible because of how the nation spent its money. She meant that government programs helped her family.
Tanden earned her first college degree, a Bachelor of Arts, from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1992. She then went to Yale Law School and earned a law degree, a Juris Doctor, in 1996. While at Yale Law School, she helped edit the Yale Law & Policy Review journal.
When she was a freshman at UCLA, Tanden met her future husband, Benjamin Edwards, who is an artist. Both Tanden and Edwards volunteered for Michael Dukakis's presidential campaign in 1988. Tanden worked as a local organizer in a part of Los Angeles.
Career in Public Service
Neera Tanden has worked on important government policies in different places. She has worked on Capitol Hill, in research groups called think tanks, and for various Democratic political campaigns.
Working with the Clintons
Many people see Tanden as a close friend and loyal supporter of Hillary Clinton. A big part of Tanden's career has involved working with the Clintons. Some have even called her Hillary Clinton's closest policy advisor.
Tanden worked with President Bill Clinton on new energy policies and healthcare reform. She was an associate director for domestic policy in the Clinton White House. She also advised the First Lady's Office on domestic policy.
From 1999 to 2000, Tanden was a deputy campaign manager and policy director for Hillary Clinton. This was during Clinton's successful campaign to become a U.S. Senator for New York. After the election, Tanden served as Senator Clinton's legislative director from 2003 to 2005.
Tanden was Hillary Clinton's policy director for Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. She also advised Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign. After Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination in 2016, Tanden was part of her transition team. If Clinton had won the presidency, Tanden was considered for a top job in the White House.
In 2016, some of Hillary Clinton's campaign emails were made public by WikiLeaks. These emails included messages from Tanden. Tanden said it was hard to have her private conversations shared with everyone.
Obama Campaign and Administration
After Barack Obama became the Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, Tanden was one of the first former-Clinton campaign staff members to join his team. She was the domestic policy director for his successful general election campaign.
During the Obama administration, Tanden was a senior advisor to Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius was the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Tanden helped write the government's healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She also worked with Congress and other groups on parts of the bill. She is known as one of the main people who helped create the Affordable Care Act.
Leading the Center for American Progress
In 2003, Tanden played a big part in starting the Center for American Progress (CAP). She worked as a Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy. She was also a Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Starting in 2010, she became the Chief Operating Officer.
On November 1, 2011, Tanden became the president and CEO of CAP, taking over from John Podesta.
After the 2016 election, Tanden changed the focus of the Center for American Progress. She wanted the group to be a main place for opposing Donald Trump's policies. She also wanted it to help shape healthcare discussions within the Democratic Party.
In 2021, Tanden left her leadership role at CAP after being named an advisor to President Biden. Patrick Gaspard then became the new president and CEO.
Nomination for Office of Management and Budget
On November 30, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced that he wanted Neera Tanden to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. After this announcement, Tanden deleted many of her old social media posts. She also changed her social media profile from "progressive" to "liberal."
During her confirmation hearing, Tanden said she was sorry for some of her past social media posts. These posts had criticized Republican senators. For example, she had called Senator Susan Collins "the worst" and compared Senator Ted Cruz to vampires. She also used a nickname for Senator Mitch McConnell and compared him to Lord Voldemort. Some senators described her as "controversial."
In February 2021, Senator Joe Manchin said he would not support her nomination. He said this was because of her "overtly partisan statements" in the past. This made it hard for her to get approved, as the Senate was evenly split between the two parties. Other senators also said they would vote against her.
On March 2, 2021, Tanden asked the Biden administration to withdraw her nomination. The White House agreed. Tanden explained that it was clear she would not be confirmed. She did not want her nomination to distract from other important issues. President Biden said he respected Tanden and would find another role for her in his administration. Her nomination was officially withdrawn on March 25, 2021.
Senior Advisor to the President
Tanden was appointed as a senior advisor to President Biden on May 14, 2021. In this job, Tanden helps plan for possible policy changes related to healthcare. She also reviews the U.S. Digital Service, which helps improve government technology. Some experts believe that this role gives her more influence than she would have had as OMB Director. This is because she can be part of daily presidential meetings.
Staff Secretary
In October 2021, Tanden was named President Biden's staff secretary. In this role, she helps manage the flow of papers and information for the President. She also continues to be a senior advisor in the Biden White House.
Political Ideas
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Domestic Policy
Much of Neera Tanden's work focuses on healthcare policy in America. She helped pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare," during the Obama administration. Tanden supports a healthcare system where both private and public insurance options exist. She does not support a single-payer healthcare system, like "Medicare for All," which would be run only by the government.
Tanden has suggested that changes to government programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare could be considered to help reduce the national debt.
Tanden has also criticized the ideas and supporters of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. During the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, she did not support Sanders's ideas for a $15 per hour minimum wage or single-payer healthcare. However, in 2017, she did express support for the Fight for $15 movement. Tanden supports the labor movement, which helps workers. She believes that strong labor unions encourage other businesses to offer good salaries and benefits to their employees.
Foreign Policy
Tanden has been described as having "hawkish" views on foreign policy, meaning she supports a strong military and assertive foreign policy. In 2013, Tanden said that "an unpoliced world is dangerous." The Center for American Progress, which she led, has been noted for its connections to countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia. In 2016, she met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tanden has criticized Modi's government for actions that she believes are against democracy and create violence against Muslims in India.
Israel
In 2015, Tanden and CAP criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This was because he tried to influence U.S. policy during a visit to Washington, D.C. Later that year, Netanyahu asked to speak at CAP. Tanden agreed, saying it would be wrong to refuse. She also said the event would include questions from the audience. This decision was criticized by some progressive groups. Tanden explained that CAP is a think tank, and Israel is an important U.S. ally.
She called the U.S. recognition of Israel's control over the Golan Heights in 2019 "a blatant political move."
Libya
Before the U.S. and NATO took military action in Libya in 2011, Tanden supported removing Gaddafi from power.
In 2011, Tanden wrote in a private email (which later became public) that the U.S. had a "giant deficit." She thought it "doesn't seem crazy" for "oil rich" nations like Libya to "partially pay [the US] back" for military help. Tanden said this would be better than cutting important social programs.
Awards and Recognition
- 2012: National Journal named her one of the 25 "Most Influential Women in Washington."
- 2013: Fortune magazine named Tanden one of the "Most Powerful Women in Politics."
- 2014: Elle magazine named Tanden one of the 10 most powerful women in Washington, D.C.
- 2016: Politico named Tanden to its "Politico 50" list. This list recognizes "thinkers, doers, and visionaries transforming American politics."
Personal Life
Neera Tanden is married to Benjamin Edwards, and they have two children together.
Images for kids
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Tanden speaking in 2013 on behalf of the Center for American Progress
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Tanden as CAP president
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Tanden in 2016
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Tanden in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Neera Tanden para niños
