Pandemic support at center of Yellen confirmation hearing

The Senate Finance Committee has begun its confirmation hearing for Treasury Secretary-nominee Janet Yellen with Democrats and Republicans squaring off immediately over how much more support the economy, hammered during the pandemic, requires.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, who is scheduled to take over as chairman of the committee, told Yellen that his top priority is avoiding the mistake made a decade ago when Congress withdrew support for the economy too soon after the housing crisis and delayed the recovery from the last recession.

Wyden said he hoped that the Senate will be able to get Yellen's nomination approved "as quickly as possible" given the challenges facing the country.

But Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley pointed to all the support that has already been approved and said he was concerned that the incoming Biden administration wants to raise taxes and enact massive spending programs.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)