Biden Nominee Neera Tanden 'Regrets' Saying Vampires Have More Heart Than Ted Cruz

Neera Tanden, Biden’s nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget, faced scrutiny in her confirmation hearing Tuesday for social media posts attacking Republican lawmakers. Tanden apologized for her remarks and promised to be a nonpartisan figure, the Wall Street Journal noted.

Most of the posts in question came from Tanden’s time as an “impassioned advocate” with the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. While leading the organization, Tanden prolifically attacked both right-wing and far-left politicians.

The divisive content of the messages, as well as Republicans’ focus on them after ignoring four years of inflammatory tweets from Donald Trump, sent Tanden’s name shooting up Twitter’s trending list.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, questioned how Tanden would work effectively with people she’s so thoroughly alienated.

“Just to mention a few of the thousands of negative public statements, you wrote that Susan Collins is ‘the worst,’ Tom Cotton is a ‘fraud,’ that 'vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz,'” he said.

During Supreme Court Justice Brent Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, she lambasted Collins’ “pathetically bad-faith argument as cover for President Trump’s vicious attacks on survivors of sexual assault.”

Tanden acknowledged that her remarks had been hurtful and pledged work with people of both parties if approved.

“I understand that the role of OMB director calls for bipartisan action, as well as a nonpartisan adherence to facts and evidence,” she said.

Seven of Biden’s cabinet picks have already been approved, almost all with broad bipartisan support. The chamber is split evenly between the two parties, but Democrats have a tie-breaking vote from Vice-President Kamala Harris.