The Senate on Monday confirmed Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary, brushing aside a tax controversy to install a key member of President Obama’s Cabinet.
Senators voted 60-34 to approve Geithner, who revealed earlier this month that he failed to pay $34,000 in unpaid taxes from 2001 to 2004. Geithner has since paid off the tax debt and interest.
Republicans who crossed the aisle to support Geithner’s nomination included Sens. Bob Corker (Tenn.), John Cornyn (Texas), Mike Crapo (Idaho), John Ensign (Nev.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Judd Gregg (N.H.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Richard Shelby (Ala.), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and George Voinovich (Ohio).
Democrats who bucked their party to oppose the nomination included Sens. Robert Byrd (W.Va.), Russ Feingold (Wis.) and Tom Harkin (Iowa). Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), an independent who caucuses with Democrats, also opposed the nomination.
Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) missed the vote.
Democrats urged Geithner’s approval on grounds that the Treasury Department is in urgent need of immediate leadership and his tax delinquency had been adequately explained and corrected.
“It’s never not important, no matter if the economy is in crisis or not,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said. “But the thing is, he’s explained it.”
The GOP was split between those who said Geithner performed poorly at a Finance Committee hearing last week — Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) called Geithner’s explanations “implausible” — and those who lauded his background.
“The position is important, but he’s not the only person who can do the job,” Kyl told The Hill. “There are a lot of smart people who can do this job. And from a credibility standpoint, the person that’s enforcing the IRS laws probably should not be somebody who has questions about his own income tax.
“But even aside from that, I just don’t think he was candid with me or the committee, and it’s not a good way to start out, with a feeling that there’s a lack of candor from your nominee.”
Some Republicans, such as Sen. Jim Bunning (Ky.), criticized Geithner’s record as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and said the tax issue shows his judgment hasn’t improved.
“His failure to pay his own Social Security and Medicare taxes, despite clear evidence he knew he owed the taxes, reflects negligence or worse toward the law he will be responsible for enforcing,” Bunning said.
The Republican split was evident after Geithner’s 18-5 Finance Committee approval vote last week.
Republicans who backed Geithner said that it was not worth blocking the nomination over the tax controversy and that his background was otherwise solid. Particularly strong support came from Hatch, who said the Senate has a duty to confirm nominees unless they are grossly incompetent or corrupt.
Hatch also said conservatives should be rejoicing at Geithner’s selection.
“For my fellow conservatives who are very upset and up in arms about this, you are not going to get a better person for this job than Mr. Geithner,” Hatch said. “You better be darn happy the president has been willing to go to somebody who is a lot less ideological than any of us ever expected in this very, very important position.”