U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA), The Hill reported.
There was widespread bipartisan support for her nomination, including from the business community. The vote was 88-5, with only Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Kamala Harris, D-Calif.; Edward Markey, D-Mass.; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., opposing her confirmation.
Four Democratic presidential contenders did not participate in the vote, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Cory Booker, D-N.J.; and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
Carranza served as Treasurer of the United States since June 2017 and was deputy SBA administrator during George W. Bush's presidency, according to Yahoo.
With her confirmation, Carranza becomes the first permanent head of the SBA in nearly a year and will also be the top ranking Latina in Trump's Cabinet. She replaces Linda McMahon, who left last year. Since last April, Chris Pilkerton has been the acting SBA administrator.
Carranza has praised Trump and his policies to the Latin American community and is expected to continue that role in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
During her confirmation hearing in December, Carranza said she planned to "put particular emphasis on opening more doors for women and for entrepreneurs in underserved communities, including military families and veterans."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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