The Senate on Monday voted to confirm Janet Yellen as the first woman to lead the US Department of the Treasury.

Yellen, described by former President Barack Obama as “one of the nation’s foremost economists and policymakers,” will assume office when millions of Americans are out of jobs and a pandemic is still haunting the country.

Yellen, who was also the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve and the White House Council of Economic Advisers, is not new to the role of a trailblazer and will be critical for the new administration as she will serve as the key negotiator with Congress in the bid to win approval for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package to help the US economy recover from the crisis.

That will entail convincing sceptical lawmakers that the benefit of more spending outweighs concerns about the country’s soaring debt level.

“Neither the President-elect nor I, propose this relief package without an appreciation for the country’s debt burden,” Yellen told the Senate Finance Committee at her confirmation hearing last week, AFP reported.

“But right now, with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act big.”

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

“If we don’t invest now, we’re going to lose so much altitude in terms of our employment base and our economic growth, it’s going to be harder to re-establish it,” he said, AFP reported.

ALSO READ | Janet Yellen: An economic dove in Joe Biden’s cabinet

“We can afford to do it now. As a matter of fact … we can’t afford not to invest now.”

But Democrats control the Senate only with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris so getting the package through may require support from Republicans.

After Yellen’s confirmation, Democratic majority leader Sen. Chuck Schumer tweeted: “I’m thrilled to vote for Janet Yellen today and add the first portrait of a woman to that hallway.”

Earleir, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, chairman of the Finance Committee, called Yellen an “exceptional economist” who is “supremely qualified” to lead Treasury at a critical time.

And even Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader, supported Yellen’s nomination, despite opposition from over a dozen members of his party.

But McConnell has steadfastly expressed scepticism about large aid packages and favoured more limited steps.

Yellen also will have a role in enforcing trade rules and repairing relations after the multifront trade wars pursued by former president Donald Trump.

But 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.

However, while Yellen agreed that “China is clearly, our most important strategic competitor,” unlike Trump, she stressed that it will be important “to work with our allies” to combat the challenge.