Lisa Cook Moves One Step Closer to Historic Federal Reserve Seat
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate today voted to move the nomination of Dr. Lisa Cook out of committee, bringing her one step closer to being confirmed to a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
The vote comes after weeks of racist and gendered attacks on Dr. Cook, a supremely qualified and globally respected economist, over her work and research . If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Cook would be the first Black woman to join the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in our nation’s history. As Senator Sherrod Brown noted, Cook brings not only a diversity of race and gender to the Fed, but also a diversity of experience.
Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“Dr. Cook’s unique experience as a macroeconomist who has studied and worked in international economics will be an invaluable resource at the Fed. As the first Black woman to join the Federal Reserve, she also brings a perspective that will make our financial system more resilient and inclusive. Her pending confirmation will open new doors at the Federal Reserve and is a major step toward tackling the major economic issues our country faces.
“As the Federal Reserve grapples with pandemic-induced inflation, Dr. Cook’s experience will prove invaluable when she joins the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. While Democrats acted to break the deadlock around Dr. Cook’s nomination, Republican lawmakers bigoted distortions of her impeccable record are shameful.”