The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday voted 18-5 in favor of Timothy Geithner’s nomination to serve as Treasury secretary after a temperamental hearing one day earlier that included a few lashings from Republican Senators.
Voting against the nomination were the Finance Committee’s ranking member, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and GOP Sens. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Jim Bunning (Ky.), Pat Roberts (Kan.) and Mike Enzi (Wyo.).
Several of those Members have voiced concerns over Geithner’s personal finances, including his failure to pay nearly $40,000 in taxes between 2001 to 2004. Geithner has since paid the money owed and acknowledged the mistake.
Despite some opposition to his confirmation, most Democrats – and even some Republicans – have hailed Geithner’s qualifications.
Even Kyl, who voted against him and grilled the nominee during Wednesday’s hearing, maintained that the outgoing head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York would be “a good adviser” to President Barack Obama.
Geithner’s nomination now goes to the full Senate for final approval.