1. Neera Tanden had a previous tenure as president of the Center for American Progress, where she worked in different capacities since its founding in 2003 until she joined the Biden administration in 2021.
53 Facts About Neera Tanden
1. 2.
Neera Tanden has worked on several Democratic presidential campaigns, including those of Michael Dukakis in 1988, Bill Clinton in 1992, and Barack Obama in 2008.
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Neera Tanden was a senior staffer to Hillary Clinton during her 2000 election to a United States Senate seat in New York, and during Clinton's tenure as a Senator.
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Neera Tanden advised Clinton during her run for the 2008 Democratic nomination, and later helped her defeat Bernie Sanders to win the nomination in 2016, and run against Donald Trump in the 2016 general election.
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However, Neera Tanden asked for the nomination to be withdrawn after Senator Joe Manchin announced that he would not vote in favor of confirmation.
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In May 2021, Neera Tanden was appointed as a senior advisor to the president, and was later named as White House Staff Secretary in October 2021.
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In 2023, Neera Tanden replaced Susan Rice as Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council.
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Neera Tanden was born on September 10,1970, in Bedford, Massachusetts, to immigrant parents from India.
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When she was nominated to lead the OMB in 2020, Neera Tanden stated she was "mindful that my path in life would never have been possible without budgetary choices that reflected our nation's values".
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Neera Tanden received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1992 and graduated from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1996.
11.
Edwards and Neera Tanden both volunteered on Michael Dukakis's unsuccessful run for president in 1988.
12.
Neera Tanden worked as a precinct leader in the Bel Air district of West Los Angeles where many households had already contributed to the Dukakis campaign.
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Neera Tanden has worked on domestic policy on Capitol Hill, in think tanks, and for various Democratic senatorial and presidential campaigns.
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Neera Tanden has been regarded as a Clinton loyalist and personal friend of Hillary Clinton, whose professional life has been significantly defined by her work with the Clintons.
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Neera Tanden worked with President Bill Clinton's campaign on new energy policies, and health-care reform, as associate director for domestic policy in the Clinton White House, and as a domestic policy advisor in the First Lady's Office.
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In 2016, Bruce Reed, a Democratic political operative, said Neera Tanden played a role in implementing Clinton's welfare reform bill, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, signed in 1996.
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Neera Tanden denied the claim and in response posted a screenshot of what she claimed was an email from Reed.
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In 1999 and 2000, Neera Tanden was deputy campaign manager and policy director for Hillary Clinton during her successful senatorial campaign in New York.
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Neera Tanden was Hillary Clinton's policy director for Clinton's unsuccessful bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
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Neera Tanden later insisted that she had not "slugged" him but had pushed him.
21.
Neera Tanden was an unpaid adviser to Clinton's successful 2016 primary season nomination campaign and unsuccessful general election campaign in opposition to Republican candidate Donald Trump, while running the Center for American Progress.
22.
Neera Tanden was considered a candidate for a top White House job, had Clinton won the presidency.
23.
Neera Tanden called the release of her personal communications, which often feature her blunt private assessments, a painful experience to endure.
24.
Demos cited a past pattern of "online harassment of people with whom he disagrees" as the reason for his dismissal, but some commentators suggested Neera Tanden was involved in his firing, allegations she denied.
25.
Neera Tanden was domestic policy director for his successful general election campaign.
26.
Neera Tanden served in the Obama administration as senior adviser to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services.
27.
Neera Tanden helped to draft the administration's health care legislation, including work specific to its proposed, but later withdrawn, public option.
28.
Neera Tanden negotiated with Congress and stakeholders on several provisions of the bill.
29.
Neera Tanden has been described as one of the "key architects" of the Affordable Care Act.
30.
In 2003, Neera Tanden had a central role in the founding of the Center for American Progress.
31.
Neera Tanden worked as Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy, while serving as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and, starting in 2010, as Chief Operating Officer.
32.
On November 1,2011, Neera Tanden succeeded John Podesta as CAP's president and CEO.
33.
In 2021, after having been named a Biden advisor, Neera Tanden stepped down from her leadership of CAP, with Patrick Gaspard taking over her roles as president and CEO.
34.
In February 2025, Neera Tanden returned to CAP as president and CEO.
35.
Immediately afterwards, Neera Tanden deleted over 1,000 of her previous tweets, and changed her Twitter bio from "progressive" to "liberal".
36.
Many members of the 2016 and 2020 Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns, such as Briahna Joy Gray, strongly dislike Tanden and have drawn an explicit distinction between "progressives and Neera Tanden"; Politico described her nomination as "the equivalent of rubbing salt in the wound".
37.
Some senators remained undecided after meeting with Neera Tanden, including Lisa Murkowski, Bernie Sanders, and Kyrsten Sinema.
38.
Neera Tanden was appointed as a senior advisor to President Biden on May 14,2021.
39.
In October 2021, Neera Tanden was named President Biden's staff secretary and senior advisor, reporting to Ron Klain.
40.
In May 2023, Neera Tanden was named as the head of the Domestic Policy Council, replacing Susan Rice.
41.
Neera Tanden served in this capacity until the end of the Biden administration.
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Neera Tanden is regarded as a loyalist and confidante of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
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Neera Tanden is known for her outspoken and prolific Twitter presence, where she has criticized lawmakers both to her political left and right.
44.
Senator Bernie Sanders wrote a letter in 2019 accusing Neera Tanden of "maligning my staff and supporters and belittling progressive ideas".
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Much of Neera Tanden's work relates to healthcare policy in America.
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Neera Tanden worked on the passage of the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration.
47.
Neera Tanden has argued that cuts to social welfare programs, including cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, should be considered as a part of long term deficit reduction.
48.
Neera Tanden has been a critic of the policy proposals and supporters of US Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
49.
In 2020 Neera Tanden criticized Modi's government for permitting a climate of violence against Muslims in India.
50.
Neera Tanden agreed to Netanyahu's request, saying it would be hypocritical to do otherwise, adding the event would include a question and answer segment between attendees and the prime minister.
51.
Neera Tanden's decision drew harsh criticism from progressive organizations, many of whom said she was giving Netanyahu "legitimacy" by allowing him to speak before a group like CAP.
52.
Neera Tanden called the US recognition of Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights in March 2019 as "a blatant political move" to benefit Netanyahu.
53.
Neera Tanden said this would be preferable to cuts to Head Start, WIC or Medicaid.