Summary
- The situation in Ukraine continues to unfold: please continue to follow our live blog for updates.
- Senate Republicans refused to attend a banking committee meeting to advance Federal Reserve nominees because they object to one nominee, Sarah Bloom Raskin.
- Sarah Palin lost her libel lawsuit against the New York Times after a jury rejected her claim that the newspaper maliciously damaged her reputation by erroneously linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting.
- The US Senate narrowly confirmed Robert Califf as the new head of the Food and Drug Administration.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki had strong words for the Senate Republicans who refused to attend a banking committee meeting regarding Federal Reserve nominations because they had issue with one nominee in particular, Sarah Bloom Raskin, the wife of a Democratic congressman.
“This is a very extreme step that is totally irresponsible in our view,” Psaki said. “It’s never been more important to have confirmed leadership at the Fed, to help continue our recovery and fight inflation and obviously they have a unique role, a vital role to play as it relates to inflation. Democrats and Republicans have agreed on that for decades.
Psaki continued: “Republicans are out there saying inflation’s a problem, it’s a huge issue. We agree. But then they’re not even showing up to vote against these nominees for the Federal Reserve. What kind of message is that sending to the American public?”
Psaki stood by the administration’s nomination of Raskin, calling her “one of the most qualified individuals to ever be nominated to the Federal Reserve”. Psaki said Raskin not only has been continuously making disclosures to the banking committee as part of the vetting process, but every allegation against her that has been raised in particular by Pat Toomey, the ranking Republican on the committee, has been shot down and discredited.
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