Murkowsi Says She’s Still Undecided on Trump Fed Pick Shelton

(Bloomberg) -- Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said she still hasn’t decided how she’ll vote on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judy Shelton’s to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, leaving in doubt whether she has enough support to clear the Senate.

“I have not yet decided,” Murkowski told reporters Wednesday. “I’ve been in conversation with folks who are part of the banking community, just kind of tapping their brains on some of their impressions and talking to people.”

Murkowski has bucked party line in the past and has been undecided for months about how she will vote on Trump’s controversial central bank nominee.

Her decision could influence whether Shelton is approved. Republican Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine have already said they plan to vote against Shelton. The nomination would be blocked if four Senate Republicans join Democrats in opposing her.

The Senate Banking Committee advanced Shelton’s nomination on a party-line vote earlier this month, and she now is awaiting approval by the full Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he is looking at her nomination but has not yet set a date for a vote.

Shelton, an informal adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign, is viewed suspiciously by many in central banking circles for policy views that are well outside the mainstream -- including a history of admiration for the gold standard -- and for being a political loyalist who might bend to Trump’s will. She appeared to abandon her advocacy for ultra-tight monetary policy when she emerged as a Fed candidate, publicly aligning herself with the president’s calls for lower interest rates.

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