Senate Banking Committee Confirms Bernanke, With Dissent | Print | E-mail
Written by Steven Yates
Thursday, 17 December 2009 13:58
The Senate Banking Committee convened Thursday morning, December 17, and voted 16-7 to confirm Ben Bernanke for a second four-year term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

There was some dissent — expected in the current economic environment — plus loud calls, unprecedented in our lifetime, for a full audit of the Fed’s books. Adding to Bernanke’s high visibility at the moment is his has having been appointed Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2009 earlier this week. All but one of the dissenting seven voices were Republicans; the one Democrat voting against was Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) offered his reason for voting thumbs down against Bernanke at the meeting, “I strongly dispprove of some of the past deeds of the Federal Reserve while Ben Bernanke was a member and its chairman, and I lack confidence in what little planning for the future he has articulated.â€