In a rare moment of bipartisanship, the Senate unanimously voted Wednesday to confirm Sylvia Matthews Burwell as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Burwell, who served as president of the Walmart Foundation and was Deputy Director of the OMB during the Clinton administration, was confirmed by a vote of 96 to 0.
President Barack Obama said he was pleased by the vote, saying that Burwell shares his commitment to growing the economy, shrinking the deficit in a balanced way, and reigniting the middle class.
"Sylvia has spent a career fighting for working families, and she was part of an OMB team that presided over three budget surpluses in a row," Obama said in a statement.
"Her experience will be especially important as we continue our efforts to replace the indiscriminate budget cuts that are already starting to cost jobs, hurt families, and inconvenience Americans," he added. "Sylvia will be a key member of my economic team, and I look forward to working with her in the years ahead."
Burwell will replace Jeffrey Zients, who has served as acting Director of the OMB since January of 2012, when Jack Lew, now Treasury Secretary, left the position to become Obama's chief of staff.
The confirmation vote comes as lawmakers struggle to reconcile competing budget proposals from House Republicans, Senate Democrats, and Obama.
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