The Senate voted on Monday night to confirm Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary with bipartisan support. The final breakdown of the vote was 84 to 15 no. Yellen is the first woman to lead the department in its more than 230 years of history.
“I look forward to working with her to get our economy back on track and Americans back to work,” member of the Senate Finance Committee Ron Wyden tweeted immediately after the vote.
“As we face an economic crisis caused by COVID-19, we will need stable and proven leadership in the Treasury Department,” Republican Senator Susan Collins said in a statement after voting for Yellen. “A highly respected economist, Dr. Yellen served first as vice president and then president of the Federal Reserve. She served under Democratic and Republican presidents and during periods of economic crisis and economic growth.”
All 15 votes against Yellen’s confirmation came from Republican lawmakers. Republican Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, one of those who voted against Yellen, said in a statement that Yellen “supports policies proposed by President Biden that I cannot support”.
“She seems very eager to raise taxes on the American people, her energy policies are job-destroying and her willingness to double the federal minimum wage unilaterally without taking into account its impact on jobs is frightening,” continued Cramer.
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Her nomination was advanced by the Senate Finance Committee on Friday with unanimous support, 26-0, and both Democrats and Republicans praised her after the committee’s vote. “I think this is a great way to start the new year, with a unanimous vote on behalf of someone I believe is in fact the most competent and qualified Treasury secretary we’ve ever had,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of the committee.
Ranking senator Ron Wyden called Yellen an “NBA All-Star” when it comes to releasing the Senate nomination process, noting that Yellen had already been confirmed four times for economic positions by the Senate.
Yellen’s first order of business will be to help lift the United States out of an ongoing economic crisis stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, which left more than 10 million people unemployed and millions more struggling to survive.
She is the first person to serve as Treasury secretary, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
Republicans also recognized Yellen’s vast experience in the economic sector and President Biden’s right to choose his own cabinet members.
“There is no doubt about Dr. Yellen’s qualifications,” said President Chuck Grassley before voting for Yellen. “This does not mean, however, that I have no concerns, but they are political concerns. I do not support part of what I believe will be part of Dr. Yellen’s political agenda.”
Other Republican members of the committee took a similar approach, both praising and raising possible concerns in the future.
“I believe Janet Yellen is highly qualified. As said before, perhaps one of the most qualified to serve,” said Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. “I am encouraged by my conversation with her about fiscal sanity, where she said she would be a voice for fiscal sanity within the government at a time when we have unprecedented levels of deficit and the biggest debt.”
“I have strong disagreements with Dr. Yellen in a number of her positions, especially in the area of tax policy, but she has committed to us that she will work with us on these issues and the concerns we have,” said Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican . “And I think a strong vote on our side to support it today is an indication that we want to be engaged.”
Before becoming the first woman to lead the Treasury Department, Yellen was also the first woman to serve as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. She is the third member of President Biden’s Cabinet to be confirmed by the Senate after the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, and Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin retired.