President Biden on Wednesday nominated Shalanda Young and Nani Coloretti as director and deputy director, respectively, of the Office of Management and Budget, CBS News reports. If confirmed, Young would be the first Black woman to officially hold the post, while Coloretti would become one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans in government.
It would also mean the OMB would be led by two women of color, notes CBS News.
"Today, it is my honor to nominate two extraordinary, history-making women to lead the Office of Management and Budget — Shalanda Young as director and Nani Coloretti as deputy director," Biden said in an announcement shared on Twitter.
Young and Coloretti are "two of the most experienced, qualified people to lead OMB," he added in a video. "I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm them again so they can lead OMB at this important time."
Young has been OMB's interim leader since spring, The New York Times explains, and would be officially taking "the helm at a critical time for the office, which oversees the federal budget and shapes a host of regulations." The White House rescinded its initial budget director pick, Neera Tanden, after she "drew bipartisan criticism in part over vitriolic tweets targeting congressional members from both parties."
Young, however, is expected to have enough bipartisan support to earn Senate confirmation, the Times writes. She was recommended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other top Democrats, as well as endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus, per CBS News.
Coloretti is currently senior vice president for financial and business strategy at the Urban Institute. She previously served in the Obama administration for almost eight years. Read more at The New York Times and CBS News.