Janet Yellen wins Senate approval as treasury secretary - The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Monday approved President Joe Biden’s nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nation’s 78th treasury secretary, making her the first woman to hold the job in the department’s 232-year history.

Yellen, a former chair of the Federal Reserve, was approved by the Senate on a 84-15 vote, becoming the third member of Biden’s Cabinet to win confirmation.

Republicans on the panel said they had a number of policy disagreements with Yellen and the Biden administration in such areas as raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy, but believed it was important to allow Biden to assemble his economic team quickly.

During her confirmation hearing, Yellen faced substantial pushback on the plan from Republicans who argued that the package was too large, especially at a time that the federal budget deficit has soared above $3 trillion.

As Treasury secretary, Yellen, 74, will occupy a pivotal role in shaping and directing Biden’s economic policies.