Senate confirms Trump nominee Bowman to be top Fed bank regulator – Washington Examiner
Michelle Bowman has been confirmed by the Senate as the vice chairwoman for supervision at the Federal Reserve,following a narrow 48-46 vote. Nominated by former President Donald Trump,Bowman,53,will take over for Michael Barr. She has been a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors as 2018 and previously served as the state bank commissioner of Kansas. During her confirmation hearing, Bowman emphasized her commitment to reforming banking supervision and ensuring transparency. Despite support from Republican senators, she faced criticism from Senator Elizabeth Warren, who accused her of prioritizing wall Street interests. Bowman also made headlines for dissenting from an interest rate decision last year, marking a significant moment in her regulatory career as she steps into her new role during a critical time for monetary policy and inflation management.
Senate confirms Trump nominee Bowman to be top Fed bank regulator
Michelle Bowman, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the top bank regulator at the Federal Reserve, has been confirmed by a full Senate vote.
The Senate voted 48-46 on Wednesday evening to approve Bowman’s nomination to be the Fed’s vice chairwoman for supervision. Bowman, 53, will succeed Fed Governor Michael Barr, who stepped aside earlier this year after Trump was sworn in.
Bowman has served on the Fed’s Board of Governors since 2018. She graduated from the University of Kansas and later went on to get her law degree from Washburn University. Prior to the Fed, she served as the state bank commissioner of Kansas. Before that, she was vice president of Farmers & Drovers Bank.
During the second Bush administration, she briefly served as deputy assistant secretary and policy advisor to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.
Bowman said during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee that she wanted to prioritize “reforming and refocusing supervision, restoring regulatory tailoring, ensuring a viable path for innovation in the banking system, and promoting transparency and accountability.”
During the hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), long critical of the big banks, panned Bowman’s tenure at the Fed, and said has been “prioritizing Wall Street over Main Street.”
“President Trump is fanning the flames of disaster with his mismanagement of the nation’s economy,” Warren said. “Instead of showing up with the fire department, Governor Bowman brings a can of gasoline.”
Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) praised Bowman during the hearing and said her career has proven she has the character and ability to be the Fed’s next vice chairwoman for supervision.
“She understands that financial regulators play an important role in our economy,” Scott said. “When supervisors of banks fail to do their job, everyday Americans pay the price, so our financial regulators must be held to a very high standard. As vice chair for supervision, Governor Bowman will bring accountability and transparency to the Fed and ensure it operates as an independent institution void of politics.”
She was advanced from the committee in a 13-11 vote early last month.
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Bowman will be in a key role as the Fed figures out what to do with monetary policy. Inflation has meaningfully fallen, but the Fed has held interest rates steady in order to be sure that it won’t pop back up. Trump and other administration officials have been putting pressure on the Fed to cut rates.
Notably, last year, Bowman became the first Fed governor since 2005 to dissent to an interest rate decision. She disagreed with the other voting members that the central bank should cut rates by a half of a percentage point, opting instead for a more modest cut.
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