This Fed governor could be the next Treasury Secretary – and the first woman to hold the top economics job
By Martha C. White
Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard has been floated as a possible Treasury Secretary if former Vice President Joe Biden wins the presidency next month. If chosen and confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first woman to lead the Treasury Department — a symbolically significant appointment analysts say would put a veteran Beltway economist with centrist views and recession-honed crisis management skills in a critical Cabinet position…..Brainard would likely have an easier time obtaining confirmation if Biden wins the presidency but the Senate remains under Republican control. “A GOP-controlled Senate will of course require considerably more consensus on Cabinet-level officials that will enhance centrist candidates,” said Karen Shaw Petrou, co-founder of Federal Financial Analytics, a financial-policy consulting and analysis firm. “I think a Biden administration will look for centrist candidates on key economic and financial posts in any case, but a GOP Senate makes this still more likely,” she said.
