New Jersey Governor recruits Indian-American on his state reopening commission

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Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy has recruited Center for American Progress President and CEO Neera Tanden to be on his Restart and Recovery Commission, the governor announced at his daily press briefing April 28, 2020.

The commission will examine ways to safely restart business and other critical operations throughout the state as well as develop policies for New Jersey’s short- and long-term economic recovery, a press release from CAP said.

Tanden joins 21 members announced as part of the Commission. Among them are Kenneth Frazier (Co-Chair) – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co; Dr. Ben Bernanke – Distinguished Fellow in residence at the Brookings Institution and former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Dr. Richard Besser – President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Dr. Jonathan Holloway – Incoming President of Rutgers University and former Provost of Northwestern University; and Richard Trumka – President of the AFL-CIO.

“Gov. Murphy has taken strong and proactive steps to flatten the curve and combat the coronavirus in New Jersey, and I am honored to serve on his Restart and Recovery Commission as the state develops a plan for gradually reopening its economy in the weeks and months ahead,” Tanden is quoted saying. “Public health and the economy have to work hand in hand because the public is rightly focused on its safety.  And as public health is addressed, and states safely reopen, we must ensure that we build back stronger and fairer. I look forward to working with Gov. Murphy and my fellow commissioners on this important task ahead.”

“This commission is made up of some of our state and nation’s sharpest intellects and Neera Tanden is at the top of that list,” Gov. Murphy said. “As we move toward restarting our economy, it is paramount that we protect both our public and our economic health. I truly believe there is no more well-suited group than this commission to help us achieve that goal,” he added.

Tanden has also served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations as well as on presidential campaigns. Before leading CAP, Tanden was the organization’s chief operating officer.

She previously served as senior adviser for health reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; as director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, where she managed all domestic policy proposals; and as policy director for Hillary Clinton’s first presidential campaign, where she directed all policy work and oversaw the debate preparation process for then-Sen. Clinton (D-NY).

Tanden has led the development of several of CAP’s policy proposals related to the coronavirus, including “A National and State Plan To End the Coronavirus Crisis” and “Public Health Requires an Extraordinarily Aggressive Economic Response to Coronavirus Immediately—One That’s Larger Than What Many Imagine.”