The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve, in a 54-45 vote mainly on party lines, records from the Senate, the upper house in Congress, showed.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote for Warsh, while New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand did not vote. Otherwise all the in favour votes were Republican and those opposed Democrats.
The full Senate vote comes after the Senate Banking Committee passed Warsh's nomination at the end of April on strict party lines, with all 13 Republicans in favour and all 11 Democrats against him.
Democrats warned about political influence from Trump, who wants lower interest rates, on the central bank while Republicans praised Warsh as an experienced candidate.
The nomination comes at a time of growing tensions between the White House and the central bank.
Trump had repeatedly and unsuccessfully called for lower interest rates and also attacked outgoing Fed chair Jerome Powell, triggering worries in financial markets about the institution's political independence.
Despite Trump's undisguised desire to get Powell off the Fed Board, he will have to wait awhile longer. While the Fed chair's term ends in mid-May - and he had announced that he would remain in office on an interim basis if no successor has been confirmed by then - Powell said at his last press conference that he would stay on the Fed board as a regular council member.
