Jerome Powell sailed through the Senate on Thursday with strong bipartisan support for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.
The Senate voted 80-19 to confirm Powell, who will preside over the Fed as it makes decisions about how to tackle inflation that has reached a level not seen since the early 1980s. Powell, who has been acting chairman since February, drew praise from senators during the confirmation process for his handling of the economic fallout in the early months of the pandemic. But he now faces the task of reining in inflation that is running at its fastest pace in 40 years.
Senate Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Powell earned a second term as Fed chairman.
