President-elect Joe Biden, right, listens as Janet Yellen, who Biden nominated to serve as Secretary of the Treasury, speaks at The Queen theater, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON ā The Senate on Monday approved President Joe Bidenās nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nationās 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 Bidenās Cabinet to win confirmation.
Before the approval by the full Senate, Yellen had received unanimous backing from the Senate Finance Committee.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, told Yellen that Bidenās plan represented a ālaundry list of liberal structural economic reforms.āAs Treasury secretary, Yellen, 74, will occupy a pivotal role in shaping and directing Bidenās economic policies.