The Senate Finance Committee approved Timothy Geithner's nomination as Treasury secretary Thursday, by a vote of 18 to 5.
He has been under fire, especially from some Senate Republicans, for failing to pay payroll taxes on income received from the International Monetary Fund. He apologized to the committee Wednesday but said his mistakes were unintentional.
Mr. Geithner, who headed the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has also faced questions about his involvement with the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program. He said Wednesday that the Obama administration is considering using funds to buy toxic assets from financial institutions.
After the vote, Mr. Geithner responded to written questions by Senate Finance members.
In a 102-page response, he answered questions ranging from his role in Tarp, the previous bailouts, and his outlook for further assistance and bailouts.
Numerous questions focused on actions the federal government has taken to shore up Citigroup Inc.
Mr. Geithner's response is available at http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/012209%20TFG%20Questions.pdf.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Thursday afternoon that he expects the Senate to vote on Mr. Geithner's nomination next week.
