(Reuters) – St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank research director Christopher Waller moved a step closer on Wednesday toward a seat on the U.S. Federal Reserve after a procedural move in the U.S. Senate cleared the way for a final vote on his nomination on Thursday.
Senators voted 50-45 to end debate on outgoing President Donald Trump’s nominee for one of two vacant seats at the Fed. A confirmation on Thursday could leave enough time for Waller to be sworn in before the U.S. central bank’s next policy-setting meeting in mid-December.
A similar procedural vote last month for a second Fed nominee, Trump former economic adviser Judy Shelton, failed to win enough support from the Republican majority in the Senate, and no new vote is scheduled.
(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Peter Cooney)
