Potential Tanden replacement reportedly touts herself as less-partisan alternative

A front-runner "Plan B" option to direct the Office of Management and Budget has privately touted her ability to get confirmed by the Senate, even as she publicly supports the confirmation of her friend, President Biden’s controversial nominee Neera Tanden, according to a report. 

Two of the sources said O’Leary even told them she could be confirmed by the Senate.  Publicly, O’Leary has advocated for Tanden, whose chances at the top budget job are slim after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and a slew of Republican moderates said they’d vote against her, citing years of hostile and overtly partisan tweets. Privately, too, sources said she is still expressing support for Tanden and doesn’t seem to be openly campaigning for the position.  O’Leary and Tanden have a history together: The two worked side-by-side in a tight-knit "brain trust" policy advisory group.