The Senate voted 52-43 Tuesday to confirm Lael Brainard, a member of the Federal Reserve Board, to become vice chair, but fell short of the votes needed to move forward with Lisa Cook’s nomination to join the board.
Democrats didn’t have the votes needed to invoke cloture and limit debate on Cook’s nomination after Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Christopher S. Murphy of Connecticut tested positive for COVID-19. With Vice President Kamala Harris also out because of COVID-19, the Democrats wouldn’t have been able to even break a tie.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., followed the Cook vote by withdrawing his motion to invoke cloture on Alvaro Bedoya to be a member of the Federal Trade Commission, avoiding a similar outcome for another nominee. Harris broke a Senate tie last month to discharge his nomination from committee. Bedoya’s confirmation would break a partisan 2-2 deadlock on the commission.
