Janet Yellen, the nominee for US President Joe Biden to become Treasury Secretary, speaks as Biden announces nominees and appointers to serve on his economic policy team at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, on December 1, 2020.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Janet Yellen’s move to tackle the history of the Treasury chief took an important step forward on Friday morning after she easily clarified an important vote in the Senate.
Along with the experience she brings, Yellen will be the first woman ever to hold the position. She was previously the first woman to head the Federal Reserve.
The Senate Finance Committee on Friday approved President Joe Biden’s decision to nominate Yellen as secretary of the Treasury and voted the nomination 26-0.
“We are proud to be the first woman to be United States Secretary of the Treasury,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, said. “I really hope she can lead a new day at the Treasury to focus on issues related to the labor force in Main Street, the training of the labor force and the important aspects of getting the US economy and people back to work. “
Yellen is still confirmed by the entire Senate. Indications are that Yellen’s name will move to the Senate floor before the business closes on Friday.
The vote on the committee had little debate or disagreement, similar to her confirmation hearing earlier this week. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Said Yellen is “in fact an NBA All-Star when it comes to clearing the Senate nomination process.”
Indeed, Yellen also led the process when she was nominated twice in the Fed’s board of governors. Yellen was also the first woman to chair the Board of Economic Advisers under former President Bill Clinton.
Emphasis in duality
The committee’s chairman, Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the speedy detection of Yellen’s appointment was part of a Republican effort to quell some of the partisan shamelessness that Washington pervaded during the office of former President Donald Trump. , te tem.
“Unfortunately, I cannot say that all candidates from the previous administration received similar treatment,” Grassley said. He added that the treatment of Yellen’s nomination ‘is an interest of mine, and I know all my Republican colleagues to work together and work in a dual way. “We are not interested in cancerous cultural wars that only serve to divide the nation.”
Should she gain confirmation, it would put her in a critical position to carry out the Democratic government’s economic agenda.
The new president finds himself already caught up in a congressional battle over his proposed $ 1.9 billion spending plan. Approval may take a few weeks, and Biden is unlikely to receive the full price.
Part of Yellen’s job will be to heed the proposal by Congress, where she’s likely to face strong opposition.
“I have very strong opinions with Dr. Yellen about a number of her positions, especially in the area of tax policy,” he said. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said. “But she has committed herself to working with us on these issues and the concerns we have, and I think the strong voice on our part to support her today is an indication that we want to get involved.”