Joe Biden appoints Indian-American Neera Tanden as his Domestic Policy Advisor

 United States President Joe Biden on Friday named Indian-American Neera Tanden as his Domestic Policy Advisor to help him craft and implement his domestic policy agenda.

“I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education,” Biden said. Tanden replaces Susan Rice as Biden’s Domestic Policy Advisor. “Tanden will be the first Asian-American to lead any of the three major White House policy councils in history,” Biden said.

“As Senior Advisor and Staff Secretary, Neera oversaw decision-making processes across my domestic, economic and national security teams. She has 25 years of experience in public policy, has served three Presidents, and led one of the largest think tanks in the country for nearly a decade,” Biden said.

“She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform. While growing up, Neera relied on some of the critical programs that she will oversee as Domestic Policy Advisor, and I know those insights will serve my Administration and the American people well. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Neera in her new role,” he said.

Tanden currently serves as President Biden's Senior Advisor and Staff Secretary. She served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as presidential campaigns and think tanks. Most recently, she was president and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Tanden previously served as Senior Advisor for Health Care Reform at the Department of Health and Human Services and served on President Obama's White House Health Care Reform Team. Before that, she was the domestic policy director for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign and served as the policy director for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Tanden served as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor of the New York City Schools and also as Deputy Director for Domestic Policy in the Clinton White House and Chief Policy Advisor to the First Lady.

She received her BA from UCLA and her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. The President also announced that Stefanie Feldman will serve as Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary. In addition, Zayn Siddique will be promoted to Senior Representative of the Domestic Policy Council.