Senate confirms Trump pick to Fed board ahead of key interest rate vote

The US Senate has cleared President Donald Trump’s pick Stephen Miran to join the Federal Reserve’s board of governors – part of a panel responsible for setting the country’s interest rates.

Miran, who is chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, will be the first sitting White House official to join the Fed’s board since its creation in its current form in the 1930s.

He was narrowly confirmed on Monday with a vote of 48-47.

The economist’s entry has raised concerns over the central bank’s longstanding independence and follows Trump’s bid to reshape the Federal Reserve.

Miran is expected to take part in a key Fed policy meeting this week as one of 12 voting members, playing a central role in Trump’s bid for a large interest rate cut.

The Fed is expected to approve a quarter-percentage point rate cut to support a weakening labour market.

Miran is a supporter of Trump’s global tariffs, arguing the import duties won’t fuel inflation and that policies like stricter immigration will reduce housing demand and lower prices.

The White House economist’s fast-tracked confirmation vote has proceeded in just a few weeks, when it typically takes months for a Fed governor nominee to be confirmed by the Senate.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, raised concerns that Miran would be seen as a “puppet” who would not be trusted as an independent voice on the Fed board.

Trump has put pressure on the Fed for months, demanding interest rate cuts to give the US economy a boost and make it cheaper for the government to borrow.

The president has taken aim at Fed chair Jerome Powell, calling him a “numbskull” and “too late”.

Miran’s vote also comes as Trump is also attempting to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook from the central bank, citing allegations of mortgage fraud and constitutional powers to remove her.

Cook, the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor, has denied the allegations and sued to block her removal.

She has voted in recent months to keep interest rates on hold this year.

On Monday, a US appeals court denied the justice department’s request to lift an earlier ruling to temporarily block Trump from removing Cook.

The Trump administration is also pursuing mortgage fraud investigations against Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both political antagonists of the president.