Historic Cabinet pick would be the first woman, immigrant, or person of color to head science-technology post

SCREEN CAPTURE / STARTALK

Dr. Arati Prabhakar picked to lead Office of Science and Technology Policy

In an historic choice, President Biden is choosing Dr. Arati Prabhakar to serve as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). 

The nomination announced by Biden today is historic, with Prabhakar being the first woman, immigrant, or person of color nominated to serve as Senate-confirmed director of OSTP.

“Dr. Prabhakar is a brilliant and highly-respected engineer and applied physicist and will lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy to leverage science, technology, and innovation to expand our possibilities, solve our toughest challenges, and make the impossible possible,” says President Biden. 

“I share Dr. Prabhakar’s belief that America has the most powerful innovation machine the world has ever seen. As the Senate considers her nomination, I am grateful that Dr. Alondra Nelson will continue to lead OSTP and Dr. Francis Collins will continue to serve as my acting Science Advisor.”

The OSTP is becoming one of the most critical and high-profile federal agencies in modern times having to deal with rapidly spreading viruses like COVID-19, spurring efforts to stem climate change, fighting the attempts by foreign countries and domestic terrorists from spreading misinformation on the internet and persuading Silicon Valley to put limits on individuals' and groups' attempts to spur violence and and hate. 

If confirmed to lead OSTP, Prabhakar would become the third Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander to serve in Biden’s Cabinet, joining Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

Once confirmed to this position, also as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. In this capacity, Dr. Prabhakar will be the President’s Chief Advisor for Science and Technology, a co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and a member of the President’s Cabinet.

The 63-year-old Prabhakar would take over the post held by Eric Lander, who resigned Feb. 7 after admitting to bullying his staff and creating a hostile work environment during his 9 months in office.

Although she will need Senate confirmation to become OSTP director—which could take months—Prabhakar can immediately take the science adviser post. That would give her a role in addressing several thorny science policy issues, including how best to position the United States to compete with China, implement workable rules for protecting U.S.-funded academic research from theft, and reduce inequality in the research community.

Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said she was "thrilled to see a South Asian American woman joining the President’s Cabinet."

"Dr. Prabhakar, a talented physicist and engineer, is well-equipped to help our nation solve current and emerging scientific challenges," says Chu. "When she is confirmed, she will be the first woman, immigrant and person of color to serve in this role, making this nomination not just a phenomenal choice, but one of historical significance as well.

"As the Chair of CAPAC, I look forward to continuing the caucus’ close work with OSTP under Dr. Prabhakar’s leadership on issues related to targeting of Asian American researchers, as well as ways to streamline the federal grant application process.," says Chu.

Prabhakar has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate before, to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and was the first woman to hold that role. She later served as director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the birthplace of breakthrough technologies like stealth aircraft and the Internet.

Dr. Arati Prabhakar has led two different federal R&D agencies and worked with startups, large companies, universities, government labs, and nonprofits across a wide variety of sectors to create powerful new solutions for critical challenges. She is an engineer and applied physicist with extensive management and leadership credentials.

Prabhakar served as director of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, from 2012 to 2017. At DARPA, she oversaw teams that prototyped a system for detecting nuclear and radiological materials before a terrorist can build a bomb, that developed tools to find human trafficking networks in the deep and dark web, and that enabled complex military systems to work together even when they were not originally designed to do so. 

She also established a new office to spur novel biotechnologies. Under her leadership, DARPA kick-started the development of a rapid-response mRNA vaccine platform, making possible the fastest safe and effective vaccine development in world history in response to COVID-19.

Prabhakar was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), taking the helm at age 34 as the first woman to lead the agency. At NIST, which she led from 1993 to 1997, she helped take from early seed stage to national scale the Manufacturing Extension Partnership to boost the competitiveness of small- and mid-size manufacturers, and the Advanced Technology Program to stimulate early-stage advanced technology development. She also reinforced NIST’s long-time mission in measurement science and technology that underpins commerce and high-quality manufacturing.

Between her Federal leadership roles, Prabhakar spent 15 years in Silicon Valley, helping bring R&D to deployment as a company executive and as a venture capitalist. Her work included components for consumer electronics and semiconductor process technology. In 2019, she founded Actuate, a non-profit organization bringing new actors to the table to develop solutions to the challenges of climate, health, trustworthy data and information technology, and opening access to opportunity for every person.

Prabhakar’s family immigrated from India to the United States when she was 3-years old – first to Chicago and then settling when she was age 10 in Lubbock, Texas, where she went on to get her electrical engineering degree from Texas Tech University. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology, where she also earned an M.S. in electrical engineering. 

She started her career in public service in the legislative branch as a Congressional Fellow at the Office of Technology Assessment.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

AsAm US Senators deliver ultimatum for better AAPI representation in the Biden administration

Senators Tammy Duckworth, left, and Mazie Hirono.

Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii backed off on their threat to withhold voting for President Biden's nominees until AAPI representation in Biden's Cabinet improved.

Duckworth and Hirono, the only Asian American members of the US Senate,  reflected AAPI leaders' frustration with the lack of an AAPI senior Cabinet member despite Biden's vow to have his cabinet "look like America."

With the Senate evenly split between the GOP and Democrats, a "no" vote by Duckworth and/or Hirono would effectively guarantee a nominee's rejection.

Hours after their announcement, the White House said that a senior liaison would be appointed to make sure that AAPI concerns are voiced and addressed.

With the announcement of the liaison to night, Duckworth’s spokesman said the senator would not stand in the way of “qualified nominees — which will include more AAPI leaders.”

“Senator Duckworth appreciates the Biden Administration’s assurances that it will do much more to elevate AAPI voices and perspectives at the highest levels of government, including appointing an AAPI senior White House official to represent the community, secure the confirmation of AAPI appointments and advance policy proposals that are relevant and important to the community,” spokesman Ben Garmisa said in a statement.

Hirono also said that she would vote yes for qualified nominees. 

Since the November election, AAPI leaders have been lobbying heavily for AAPI representatives for Biden's Cabinet, even submitting a list of prospective qualified nominees. Most of them never even received a call, according to Duckworth.

Biden's Cabinet is the first Presidential Cabinet since 2000 to not include an AAPI Secretary.

The two AAPI senators met virtually with senior Biden officials Monday evening to express their frustration at the lack of AAPI representation in the Biden Cabinet.

“To be told that, well, you have (Vice President) Kamala Harris, we’re very proud of her, you don’t need anybody else, is insulting,” Duckworth said.

“That is not something you would say to the Black Caucus — ‘Well you have Kamala, we’re not going to put any more African Americans in the Cabinet because you have Kamala,’” said Duckworth, according to the New York Times.

“Why would you say it to AAPI?” she added.

Tuesday morning, Duckworth told the White House that she would reject Biden's "non-diversity" nominees. Hirono made a similar statement. The offer of senior liaison was offered only after the Senators expressed their frustration and issued their ultimatum.

Controversial Indian American withdraws her name forBiden's Cabinet

ANALYSIS

Neera Tanden, President Biden's pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, has withdrawn her name for consideration for that Cabinet position.

It is the first setback, and perhaps not the last, for Biden in the nomination process through the Senate, which is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.

"I have accepted Neera Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget," said Biden in a statement.

"I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my Administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work."

Following is the letter from Tanden to President Biden withdrawing her nomination:

Dear President Biden,

I am writing to you to withdraw my nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget. It has been an honor of a lifetime to be considered for this role and for the faith placed in me.

I appreciate how hard you and your team at the White House has worked to win my confirmation. Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation, and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities.

I am incredibly grateful for your leadership on behalf of the American people and for your agenda that will make such a transformative difference in people’s lives.

When Biden first nominated Tanden, head of the Center for American Progress and a strong supporter of HIllary Clinton, as his choice to head the OMB, Capitol observers and insiders speculated that she would have a rough time getting Senate approval, largely because she has been outspoken in her social media criticism of some of the Senators from both major parties.

Two weeks ago, when West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced that he would not support Tanden's nomination, it appeared that Tanden's cause was all but dead. One Democratic switch could tilt the Senate to the Republicans, who were in no mood to approve someone whose harsh criticism hurt their tender egos.

Some pundits even called her the "sacrificial lamb" so that the Republicans can withhold approval and show that the GOP Senators can still wield their influence in the evenly split Upper House. Hopefully, if the GOP can block Tanden, it was speculated, they would go easy on Biden's other nominees.

Despite the setback, the White House fought hard for Tanden, rallying its forces and talking to the independent-minded Republicans who might support the Indian American nominee.

A meeting between Tanden with Alaska's Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski Monday, failed to get an endorsement, apparently. After their meeting, Murkowski withheld any comment, usually a bad sign. If she was inclined to vote for Tanden, she would have announced her decision right away.

"It is a tragedy that her nomination has been withdrawn, leaving just one AAPI in the cabinet. I believe that Neera deserved to be confirmed on the merits of her work and the President’s faith in her," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Chu led a lobbying effort to get an AAPI nominated to the Cabinet at the Secretary level. Although OMB director is not at the level as a Secretary, she was one of only two AAPI in Biden's Cabinet.

“As President Biden considers nominees to replace her and to fill the rest of the Executive Branch, I hope that he continues to elevate qualified AAPI leaders like Neera Tanden who will help increase the diversity of experience and thought in the government, and ensure our government looks more like our country.”

Republicans, flush with the excitement of their first victory over the Democratic President, may not be satisfied with rejecting Tanden.

A campaign by conservatives has already started against Vanita Gupta, another Indian American woman, who Biden picked to be the Associate Attorney General.

Gupta, who served in President Obama's DOJ as head of the Civil Rights Decision, is being targeted by Judicial Crisis Network, Heritage Action for America, and Americans for Public Trust, says Politico. The three groups have raised $800,000 to run ads against Gupta. who will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee March 9.

However, current and former police chiefs in more than 53 cities across the country, as well as the National Fraternal Order of Police, are issuing their support for Gupta, praising her leadership and record and urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to "quickly confirm her" to the post.

“I have worked with Ms. Gupta in my position as sheriff in the past and know her to be no stranger to law enforcement issues, says David Mahoney, Dane County, WI sheriff and president, National Sheriffs’ Association. "She believes in the truth and like I believes that our nation’s law enforcement officers and leaders must be partners in embracing reforms within our profession and in doing so build a healthy relationship with the Department of Justice.”

Neera Tanden's spot on Biden's Cabinet as head of the OMB in trouble

SCREEN CAPTURE

Neera Tanden's nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget is in jeopardy.

Asian American activists and lawmakers rallied around Neera Tanden's nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget, which appears to be in trouble in the Senate.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, indicated Monday that they plan to vote against Tanden, citing her intemperate and now-deleted social media posts attacking GOP lawmakers.

Since the Senate is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, Vice President Harris could cast the deciding vote, however that requires that all Democrats vote for Tanden. However, her nomination may be in jeopardy after Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., announced his opposition to Tanden late last week.

“Neera Tanden was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act, which expanded healthcare to millions of American families, and has served as a senior policy advisor to Democratic Presidential campaigns and administrations…Ms. Tanden’s longstanding commitment to advancing policies that improve American lives makes her an ideal choice to serve as President Biden’s top budget advisor,” said Neha Dewan, national director of South Asians for Biden.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, already upset that an AAPI was not named to a Secretary position in Biden's Cabinet, sent a letter to all 100 senators indicating their support for Tanden.

“As a former senior advisor during the Clinton and Obama administrations, a former legislative director in the U.S. Senate, and in her role as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for American Progress, Ms. Tanden is widely recognized as an expert in domestic, economic, and foreign policy. Not only is she a leading architect of bold policies designed to support working families, foster broad-based economic growth, and curb rampant inequality, but she is also a pragmatic policy maker who understands the importance of working across the aisle to find common ground on initiatives that will move our nation forward,” said the letter.

Although the OMB is not a Secretary-level post, the OMB director is part of the Cabinet. Hoping to find some Republican support, the letter continued: 

"Throughout her career, Ms. Tanden has worked with both Republicans and Democrats to advance critical bipartisan policy initiatives from expanding the Child Tax Credit to pushing for greater healthcare access to advocating for robust skills training and innovation in education. She has also advanced practical policy solutions by working with organizations like the American Enterprise Institute, the McCain Institute for International Leadership, and R Street Institute, and will continue to prioritize commonsense policy solutions over politics as OMB Director."

Biden’s allies are encouraging his advisors to prepare for the possibility that the Senate may not confirm Tanden, according to CNBC sources.

The White House, however, has stood fast with Tanden despite the criticism. “I think the fact that the president nominated her to…be running OMB reflects his view that she’s the right person to be in his cabinet,” said spokesperson Jen Psaki, adding that the White House believed “her qualifications, her history of working across the aisle with people from different groups who have different points of view is a reflection of how she would do that role.”

What appears to be the issue are the numerous tweets issued by Tanden lambasting some of the current Senators is coming back to haunt the Indian American nominee. Most of the tweets have been deleted but senators have long memories and thin skins, it appears.

In a tweet which has since been deleted, Tanden called Collins ‘the worst’ and attacked her in another tweet for her questioning of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing.

"Susan Collins' terrible treatment of Dr. Ford should haunt Collins the rest of her days," Tanden tweeted during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, when Blasey Ford raised allegations against him.

“The OMB needs steady, experienced, responsive leadership. I will vote against confirming Ms. Tanden,” said Maine's senior senator in a statement Monday morning.

Biden reportedly called Manchin to calm him down and the White House is looking at other Republicans for support. That includes Sen. Lisa Murkowski, D-Alaska, who hasn't publicly stated her vote.