Senators have confirmed the nomination of Ben Bernanke to a second term as Federal Reserve Chairman by a vote of 70 to 30.
Prior to this vote, members adopted a cloture motion on the nomination by a vote of 77 to 23. Passage of that motion required 60 votes.
Members agreed to waive the thirty hours of post-cloture debate time eligible upon adoption of the motion.
Update: A couple of interesting notes on today’s confirmation vote. First, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) notes in a press release that the 30 “no” votes were more than “ever cast in opposition to a nominee for Fed chairman.”
Meanwhile, The Hill reports that “six Democratic senators and one Republican voted to end debate on Ben Bernanke’s nomination for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman, but ultimately opposed his nomination.”
Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Tom Harkin (Iowa), Kaufman (Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), and Byron Dorgan (N.D.). voted to end debate on the matter, but voted against the Fed chairman’s nomination.
Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.) also voted for cloture, but not confirmation — the only Republican lawmaker to do so.
(credit image – reuters)
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