The Senate on Monday confirmed Janet Yellen to become the first female U.S. Treasury Secretary in the department’s 232-year history.
With a Senate vote of 84 to 15, Yellen became the United States’ 78th treasury secretary. She’s the third member of Biden’s Cabinet to win confirmation.
On Friday, Yellen received unanimous approval vote in the Senate Finance Committee leading to her confirmation on Monday.
Yellen, a former chair of the Federal Reserve, will spearhead the Biden administration’s response to the coronavirus economic crisis, and is expected to work with Congress on the president’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal.
Republicans in the Finance Committee had expressed concerns over the price tag of the coronavirus relief proposed by Biden.
Her confirmation was faster than previous ones. Her predecessor Steven Mnuchin was confirmed three weeks after former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration on a party-line vote.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.
