# Senate Confirms Warsh as Fed Chair in Historic 54-45 Vote  
**Published:** 2026-05-13T23:03:47.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/us-senate-approves-warsh-trumps-pick-to-replace-powell-as-fed-chair/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/senate-confirms-warsh-as-fed-chair-in-historic-54-45-vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed economist [Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/us-senate-approves-warsh-trumps-pick-to-replace-powell-as-fed-chair/) on Wednesday in the closest confirmation vote for a Fed chair in the modern era, with only one Democrat crossing party lines.

Warsh, 56, [won confirmation by a 54-45 vote](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/13/kevin-warsh-wins-senate-confirmation-as-the-next-federal-reserve-chair.html), mostly along party lines, with only Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voting in support. Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York did not vote. Warsh will succeed Jerome Powell, whose term as chair expires Friday, though Powell will remain on the Fed's board.

[Warsh previously served on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011](https://www.federalreservehistory.org/people/kevin-m-warsh), where he played a key role during the 2008 financial crisis. The Florida resident brings substantial experience in finance, having worked at Morgan Stanley and served as special assistant to President George W. Bush for economic policy.

The confirmation process proved contentious, stalled for weeks by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who withheld support until the Trump administration dropped a Justice Department investigation into Powell's handling of renovations at the Fed's headquarters. After [the investigation was scrapped on April 24](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-administration-investigation-fed-chair-jerome-powell-scrapped), Tillis removed his opposition. A federal judge had previously dismissed DOJ criminal subpoenas, noting evidence the probe's "dominant purpose" was "to harass and pressure Powell."

Democrats expressed deep concerns about Warsh's commitment to Fed independence. [Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland criticized Warsh for doing a "180-degree flip" on interest rates since his previous Fed tenure](https://x.com/ChrisVanHollen/status/2054617208718778510?s=20), noting that [inflation data released Tuesday showed a 3.8% increase year over year, the highest jump since 2023](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/cost-iran-war-rises-29b-us-gas-prices-spike). "Markets need confidence that monetary policy decisions are being made on the basis of economic evidence, not on the basis of political pressure," Van Hollen said.

President Trump has made clear he expects Warsh to support interest rate cuts, having repeatedly criticized Powell throughout his second term. Warsh has called for "regime change" at the Fed and argued the central bank's benchmark interest rate can be lower. However, Fed chair decisions are not unilateral—Warsh is one of 12 votes on the interest-rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, and other policymakers have expressed concerns about inflation. Warsh's first meeting as chair is scheduled for June 16-17.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/us-senate-approves-warsh-trumps-pick-to-replace-powell-as-fed-chair/)
- [CNBC coverage of Warsh's Fed chair confirmation](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/13/kevin-warsh-wins-senate-confirmation-as-the-next-federal-reserve-chair.html)
- [Federal Reserve History biography of Kevin Warsh](https://www.federalreservehistory.org/people/kevin-m-warsh)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/us-senate-approves-warsh-trumps-pick-to-replace-powell-as-fed-chair/.