WASHINGTON, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday approved Mary Jo White's nomination to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Richard Cordray's renomination as the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
With the 21-1 vote, the committee approved White's nomination as the next chairman of SEC, sending it to the full Senate for approval. If she is confirmed by the full Senate, she will be the first former prosecutor to head the agency in its more than 80- year history.
The panel also approved Richard Cordray's renomination to head the CFPB featuring the 12-10 vote, with all of the panel's Republicans voting against his renomination, which shows a bleak prospect for improvement on his confirmation by the full Senate.
U.S. President Barack Obama selected Mary Jo White to serve as chair of the SEC, and renominated Richard Cordray as the director of the CFPB on Jan. 24.
Obama made a recess appointment of Cordray to the post in January 2012, as Republicans repeatedly blocked the nomination previously and demanded the consumer watchdog be transformed into a commission as a way to check the clout of Democrats.
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