Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Biden picks Neera Tanden as head of the Office of Management and Budget

US president-elect Joe Biden was scheduled to formally introduce his top economic policy advisers on Tuesday (1) as his administration prepares to take power amid a slowing economic recovery hampered by the resurgent coronavirus pandemic.

Biden will appear at an event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his selections for senior roles, including his nominee for US Treasury secretary, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.


The advisers all expressed support for government stimulus to maximise employment, reduce economic inequality and help women and minorities, who have been disproportionately hurt by the economic downturn.

Among Biden’s picks include Indian American Neera Tanden, chief executive of the liberal Center for American Progress think tank, as head of the Office of Management and Budget; Cecilia Rouse, an economist at Princeton University, as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; economists Heather Boushey and Jared Bernstein as council members.

The team's makeup reinforces Biden's view that a more aggressive approach to the pandemic is required.

Biden's latest nominations would place several women in top economic roles, reflecting his commitment to increasing diversity at the highest levels of the federal government.

Rouse would be the first black woman to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, which advises the president on economic policy; Tanden would be the first woman of colour to run the OMB; and Yellen would be the first female Treasury secretary.

All three would require Senate confirmation. Several Republicans, who currently hold a narrow majority in the chamber, expressed immediate opposition to Tanden, a divisive figure who has detractors both on the right and the left.

Tanden helped the administration of former president Barack Obama create the Affordable Care Act, the sweeping healthcare overhaul that was one of his central accomplishments and whose demolition became a goal for Republicans.

Control of the Senate will be decided in a pair of runoff elections in Georgia on January 5.

Biden last week named some members of his foreign policy and national security team.

The transition to a Biden administration has proceeded despite Republican president Donald Trump's false claims that he lost the election as a result of voter fraud.

On Monday (30), Biden received his first full classified intelligence briefing since winning the November 3 election, after Trump's refusal to concede delayed the formal transition process for weeks.

Arizona and Wisconsin, two battleground states where Trump has pursued fruitless efforts to overturn the results, each certified Biden's victory on Monday.

The Electoral College, which selects the presidential winner based on state-by-state results, is scheduled to meet on December 14. Biden, the Democratic former vice president, will take office on January 20.

More For You

reeves-spring-statement

To prevent a budget deficit, Reeves has announced cuts to disability welfare payments and reductions in government departmental budgets, citing global economic uncertainty.

Government cuts growth forecast, announces public spending cuts

THE UK government reduced its 2025 growth forecast by half on Wednesday and announced spending cuts to manage public finances amid economic challenges.

The Spring Statement update comes as the Labour government, which won a landslide election in July, faces slow economic growth and rising borrowing costs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Slough Council writes off £382,000 in unpaid business rates

Two companies that owed the money had dissolved, while a third – which owed the largest amount – had gone into liquidation.

CRM

Slough Council writes off £382,000 in unpaid business rates

Nick Clark

AN ‘eyewatering’ £382,000 in unpaid business rates has been written off by Slough Borough Council with the agreement of council leaders – with one branding the sum ‘frightening’.

Leading councillors voted to approve the write off last Monday (17), after all attempts to collect the debt – owed by just three companies – had been ‘exhausted’. Councillor Wal Chahal, responsible for finance, said: “It’s an eyewatering number to be writing off, it’s just frightening.

Keep ReadingShow less
man-city-getty

Last year, Manchester City and Techno India Group launched the first Manchester City Football School in India, based in Kolkata. (Representational image: Getty)

Manchester City signs MoU to open sports school in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

MAMATA BANERJEE, chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, has announced that Manchester City has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a sports school in the state.

The Premier League club, which has won the league title for four consecutive seasons, is expanding its football education initiatives in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
IMF Finalizes £1 Billion Loan Agreement for Pakistan

The IMF said in a statement on Tuesday that the 28-month agreement aims to support Pakistan’s efforts in tackling climate change. (Photo: Reuters)

REUTERS

IMF announces agreement on £1 bn loan deal for Pakistan

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached an agreement with Pakistan on a new £1 billion loan programme and reviewed an existing bailout, which could unlock an additional £770 million if approved.

The IMF said in a statement on Tuesday that the 28-month agreement aims to support Pakistan’s efforts in tackling climate change.

Keep ReadingShow less