Senate Democrats plan Tuesday vote to confirm Cook for Fed post

Senate Democrats plan to hold votes to confirm Lisa Cook’s nomination to be a Federal Reserve governor on Tuesday, they announced Monday night.

COVID-19 cases among Democrats in the evenly divided chamber have delayed a number of nominations over the past few weeks. A procedural vote failed with some Democrats absent after contracting the coronavirus, sparking a logjam on Federal Reserve and other nominations.

Senate Democrats Plan Tuesday Vote to Confirm Cook for Fed Post
Lisa Cook on Feb. 3, 2022. Photographer: Ken Cedeno/Reuters/Bloomberg

Republicans have united in their opposition against Cook, so a procedural vote to advance her nomination as well as a final confirmation vote — both expected Tuesday — would likely require a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris in the 50-50 Senate if all senators take part.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, also said he hopes to quickly confirm a number of President Biden’s other nominees, including Jerome Powell for another term as Fed chair and Philip Jefferson as a governor.

Jefferson had unanimous support on the Banking Committee, while Powell was opposed only by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a progressive Democrat.

Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer scheduled a Wednesday vote to advance the nomination of Alvaro Bedoya to the Federal Trade Commission.

Bloomberg News
Federal Reserve Politics and policy Senate Banking Committee
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER