The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Federal Reserve Gov. Lael Brainard, by a 52-43 vote, to serve as the central bank’s vice chair.
Then the drama unfolded.
Democrats had initially planned to push ahead with a vote on fellow Fed nominee Lisa Cook. But three in their party — Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and Vice President Kamala Harris — announced Tuesday they had tested positive for COVID-19 and couldn’t attend. The presence of all three would be crucial for Cook, who received no Republican support in a vote last month to consider her nomination. Even with a 50-50 party-line split, Harris would need to cast a tie-breaking vote for Cook to be confirmed.
