Joe Biden's cabinet nominee bows out | First Thing

Neera Tanden withdraws bid for Office of Management and Budget job after criticism of her past tweets. Plus, teachers will be prioritised for a Covid vaccine

Good morning.

One of Joe Biden's cabinet picks, Neera Tanden, has withdrawn her nomination amid a backlash over controversial past tweets. Tanden, who was nominated to head the Office of Management and Budget, faced opposition from Democratic and Republican senators after tweets surfaced in which she attacked members of both parties. After Joe Manchin, a conservative Democratic senator, announced he would oppose her nomination, she fell short of the number of lawmakers needed to confirm her in the Senate. This marks the first failure for Biden in getting Senate approval for his cabinet; so far, 11 of 23 have been confirmed.