(Bloomberg) -- Economist Lisa Cook will be the first Black woman on the Federal Reserve board of governors after winning Senate confirmation by the narrowest possible margin Tuesday.

The 51-50 vote required a tie-breaking appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Absences caused by Covid-19 cases among Democrats in the evenly divided Senate had delayed Cook’s confirmation vote, as well as those of President Joe Biden’s two other Fed picks, Jerome Powell for another term as Fed chair and Philip Jefferson as a governor. 

Cook, a professor at Michigan State, had faced a united GOP campaign against her, with the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, dismissing her record as thin on monetary policy and charging her with holding far-left political views that risk politicizing the central bank.

Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown, however, has said Cook has deep experience, is sought around the world for her views on economics and would bring a diverse perspective to the Federal Reserve.

Cook will join a Fed that’s deep in a fight against inflation. Prices of everything from rent to groceries are at a 40-year high, plaguing consumers and weighing on Biden’s approval rating. 

In an effort to cool demand, the Fed has raised rates twice this year, including a 50-basis-point hike at its meeting earlier this month. Officials have indicated similar rate hikes are on the table for the next couple of meetings.

Brown, an Ohio Democrat, also has said he hopes to quickly confirm Biden’s Fed other nominees.

Jefferson had unanimous support on the Banking Committee, while Powell was opposed only by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a progressive Democrat.

Jefferson would become just the fourth Black man to join the Fed’s Board. His and Cook’s nominations came as pressure mounted to make the 108-year-old institution more representative of the economy it is charged with shepherding. 

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