Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 17, 2022

VP pool report #1

The VP pool is gathered in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office in EEOB for Vice President Harris to ceremonially swear in Shalanda D. Young as director of the Office of Management and Budget. The event is scheduled to begin at 11:35 a.m.

Background from me (I'm a senior budget and appropriations reporter for CQ Roll Call):

Young is the first Black female White House budget chief. She has been serving as the acting OMB director for nearly a year before the Senate confirmed her as the permanent director Tuesday on a 61-36 vote.

A former Democratic staff director for the House Appropriations Committee, Young was first nominated and confirmed as OMB's deputy director last year. President Biden nominated her for the director role after it became clear there weren't enough votes in the Senate to confirm his initial nominee, Neera Tanden, who Biden later appointed as a senior adviser and White House staff secretary.

Young stepping into her role in an official capacity comes after she helped negotiate the fiscal 2022 omnibus that Biden signed into law Tuesday. But her job will still be busy in the coming weeks as OMB is engaged in ongoing negotiations with Congress on supplemental COVID-19 funding and is preparing the president's fiscal 2023 budget request.

VP pool report #2

Vice President Harris entered her ceremonial office at 11:38 a.m. along with Shalanda D. Young, proceeding immediately to ceremonially swear in Young as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Harris was asked how the second gentleman is doing after he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.

"He's doing well, thank you for asking," she said.

Here's an otter that should capture the VP's brief remarks but starts a bit late into the typical swearing in remarks. She was in the room less than 5 minutes.

https://otter.ai/u/F26URs62cE6PRFHHlEkRbwd4CHs

Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., were in attendance. Harris recognized them.

As they awaited for Harris and Young, the senators chatted about the bill the Senate passed this week to make daylight savings time permanent.

"I don't care, just don't move the clocks all the time," Sinema said to Cassidy, noting that Arizona has long declined to participate in the biannual exercise.

VP pool report #3 and final

Harris and Young were both masked during the ceremony.

I tweeted a picture which you are welcome to use.

https://twitter.com/lindsemcpherson/status/1504486800819048452?t=4bBTwdd...

That should be it from me and the VP pool for today, as Harris has no other public events scheduled. It was a pleasure briefly serving as your VP pooler.