Senate votes to allow Lew to serve on international boards

The Senate confirmed that Jacob Lew can serve on various international monetary boards.

Treasury Secretary Lew was already confirmed to his post, but the Senate also has to vote to allow him to serve as the U.S. Governor of the International Monetary Fund, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Inter-American Development Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 

{mosads}The measure passed by voice-vote.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said it was an “embarrassment” that the Senate hadn’t voted to allow Lew to perform his basic duties.

“It is an embarrassment that we haven’t acted more swiftly to confirm him in this role,” Reid said. “Yet the junior Senator from Kentucky has subjected this nomination to partisan wrangling.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Tuesday that he would also put a hold on the nomination of Janet Yellen to lead the Federal Reserve.

The Senate has been working all week on executive branch and judicial nominees. The Senate has already cleared the nominations of Tom Wheeler to head the Federal Communications Commission, Richard Griffin to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, Alan Estevez to be a Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense and Katherine Archuleta to be Director of the Office of Personnel Management.

Reid said GOP obstruction has created a “backlog” of Obama nominees and vowed that the Senate would continue to work through some “critical” executive branch nominees this week. Votes on two more nominees are expected.