Republicans Boycott Sarah Blum Raskin’s Vote for Fed Cop

Despite the focus on Raskin, Tuesday’s boycott halted progress in filling vacancies in the seven-seat Federal Reserve, including Biden’s confirmation process. Refilter Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell, who enjoys broad support among Republicans and Democrats.

Senator Patrick J. It’s 2:15 p.m. ET.

“All senators – not just Republican bankers – deserve direct and honest answers from Ms. Raskin before having to vote on her nomination,” Tommy added. “Her fitness to service, judgment and impartiality are of paramount importance because Ms. Raskin is considered for a 10-year term in the country’s independent central bank and primarily the financial regulator. This is not a politically diverse appointment.”

Republicans have long criticized the Fed and the White House for not moving fast enough to stop inflation, which has skyrocketed Highest level in 40 years. But they are now willing to block Biden’s moves to fill open spots on the Fed’s board as he grapples with high inflation and the ongoing consequences of the pandemic on economic recovery. Biden also nominated Federal Reserve Governor Lyle Brainard as Fed Vice Chair, and economists Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson as Fed Governors.

Following news of the GOP boycott, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) issued a stern rebuke to his fellow Republicans.

“Today, classified member Tommy has chosen to abdicate his duty to the American people and jeopardize our economic recovery, rather than do his job and vote on Mrs. Bloom Raskin, Dr. Cook, Dr. Jefferson, Governor Brainard, and the nominations for President Powell,” Brown said in a statement. Americans are counting on us to get these job candidates as quickly as possible. If my colleagues are as concerned about inflation as they claim, they will finish the stage shows and show up today to do their jobs.”

Tommy has also criticized the central bank and the Fed’s network of regional banks for their research and interest in climate change and racial injustice — areas that Tommy says are outside the Fed’s narrow mandate. However, Republicans in general were more supportive of other Biden candidates, especially Powell.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he would meet with Powell later on Tuesday but expressed concern about Biden’s other candidates.

“I would urge President Biden to find a better, more mainstream, more partisan candidate to serve this critical institution,” McConnell said of Raskin.

The GOP’s attention on Raskin has skyrocketed since then confirmation session, When questioned by Senator Cynthia M. Loomis (R.-Wyo.) about her time on the board of the Colorado payments company, the Reserve Trust. Raskin joined the Reserve Trust board after serving as Governor of the Federal Reserve, where she served from 2010 to 2014, and as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury to former President Barack Obama, where she served from 2014 to 2017.

In 2017, the Kansas City Federal Reserve denied a Colorado company access to what’s known as the Fed’s main account, which gives banks direct access to the Fed’s payment systems. But the Reserve Trust was granted access a year later. During the confirmation hearing, Loomis asked Raskin if she had used personal contacts from her organizational background to help the Reserve Trust secure her account.

Raskin, during the hearing, repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. And last week, The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City issued a letter explaining its decision to grant a Reserve Account to the Trust.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said that prior to 2018, the Reserve Trust did not meet the appropriate requirements to be granted access to an account. But after the company changed its business model, among other changes to the state banking law, the Kansas City Federal Reserve approved the request.

In the run-up to her nomination, Democrats urged Biden to tap into a regulator with a deep legal background and focus on the risks of climate change to the financial system. In addition to focusing her recent work in academia on climate issues, Raskin call him Regulators to examine how to address climate change in their work.

During her hearing, she outlined her approach to the Fed’s regulation and supervision of banks, saying that banks choose borrowers — not the Fed — and that it would not be appropriate for the Fed to make credit and provisioning decisions. Raskin also said that any actions by the Fed should be within its specific mandate, rather than encroaching on the lawns’ designated turf for elected lawmakers.

“I understand the role. I understand the law,” Raskin said at her hearing earlier this month.