Tangherlini confirmed to lead GSA

The full Senate has confirmed the nomination of Dan Tangherlini to head the General Services Administration.

In the same series of votes, on June 27, the Senate also confirmed Brian Deese for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and Howard Shelanski to be the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in OMB. Tangherlini and Deese were confirmed by unanimous consent; Shelanski by a voice vote. Confirmation of all three had been widely anticipated.

Tangherlini has been acting administrator at GSA since April 2012, taking over the agency in the wake of a scandal surrounding lavish conference spending. "Over the past year, Mr. Tangherlini has led an impressive turnaround of GSA, and I am confident that he will continue this good work as administrator," said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that held the confirmation hearings for all three officials.

Deese will head the budget side at OMB, serving under Director Sylvia Burwell. Previously he served as deputy director of the National Economic Council, and is credited for much of the behind-the-scenes work in the bailout of the U.S. automotive industry during the Obama administration's first term.

At OIRA, Shelanski takes charge of a little-known but powerful office, which reviews all federal rules and regulations before they take effect. Before being tapped to head OIRA, Shelanski held several senior government posts, including director of the Bureau of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission and chief economist at the Federal Communications Commission.