The US Senate on Monday voted by a wide margin to confirm Janet Yellen as the first woman to lead the Treasury Department, giving her a key role in Congress colloquies over a huge Covid-19 economic relief package.
Yellen was also was the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve, from 2014 to 2018, and previously the White House Council of Economic Advisors, so she is not new to this role.

Her next job in the first weeks of the new administration will be to help win Congress approval for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion rescue package to secure US economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.
That will entail convincing skeptical lawmakers that the benefit of more spending outweighs concerns about the country’s soaring debt level.

Earlier Monday, Biden said that while he would prefer bipartisan support for his stimulus plan, time is of the essence.

In the most contentious relations with China, Yellen last week pledged to use all available tools to address “China’s abusive unfair and illegal practices” that undermine the US economy.
She said Beijing has been “undercutting American companies” with a series of policies, including illegal subsidies, dumping of products, theft of intellectual property, and barriers to US goods.