Janet Yellen wins Senate approval as treasury secretary

Janet Yellen (Andrew Harnik/AP)

The Senate has approved President Joe Biden’s nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nation’s 78th treasury secretary, making her the first woman to hold the job in the department’s 232-year history.

Ms Yellen, a former chair of the Federal Reserve, was approved by the Senate on a 84-15 vote, becoming the third member of President Biden’s Cabinet to win confirmation.