Senate Confirms Janet Yellen as New Chair of Fed Reserve: Here Are the 11 Republicans Who Voted For Her

The United States Senate voted 56-26 Monday to confirm Janet Yellen as the new head of the Federal Reserve.

President Barack Obama, Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke (Getty Images)

Here are the 11 Republicans who voted to confirm Yellen:

1. Jeff Flake (Ariz.)
2. Mark Kirk (Ill.)
3. Bob Corker (Tenn.)
4. Tom Coburn (Okla.)
5. Lisa Collins (Maine)
6. Dan Coats (In.)
7. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.)
8. Richard Burr (N.C.)
9. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)
10. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.)
11. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)

Yellen, 67, will succeed Ben Bernanke whose second term as Fed Chairman officially ends on Jan. 31.

A former head of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Yellen will transition into her new leadership position after having spent four years as the central bank's vice chair.

Her successful confirmation marks the first time in the Fed’s 100-year history that a woman has been chosen to head the central bank.

Here are the 26 GOP senators who voted against her nomination:

1. John Barrasso (Wyo.)
2. Roy Blunt (Mo.)
3. John Boozman (Ark.)
4. Thad Cochran (Miss.)
5. John Cornyn (Texas)
6. Mike Crapo (Idaho)
7. Ted Cruz (Texas)
8. Mike Enzi (Wyo.)
9. Deb Fischer (Neb.)
10. Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
11. Dean Heller (Nev.)
12. John Hoeven (N.D.)
13. James Inhofe (Okla.)
14. Johnny Isakson (Ga.)
15. Mike Johanns (Neb.)
16. Ron Johnson (Wis.)
17. Mike Lee (Utah)
18. James Risch (Idaho)
19. Pat Roberts (Kan.)
20. Marco Rubio (Florida)
21. Tim Scott (S.C.)
22. Jeff Sessions (Ala.)
23. Richard Shelby (Ala.)
24. Pat Toomey (Pa.)
25. David Vitter (La.)
26. Roger Wicker (Miss.)

It was widely expected that President Barack Obama's choice for the Fed chair would be confirmed by the Senate, but Yellen's famous and vocal support for stimulative economic policies made several Republican lawmakers uneasy.

“We’re five years into the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing program, and the economy is stuck in malaise. Printing money by the trillions is dangerous,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz said in a statement shortly after the Senate vote. "Janet Yellen has said she intends to continue current Fed policy, which may help Wall Street but is leaving Main Street with higher prices for gas and food, near-zero interest rates for savers, and stagnation for small businesses that aren’t growing or hiring.”

"I'm also troubled that Ms. Yellen continues to oppose full transparency at the Fed -- we need to audit the Fed now, so the American people can fully understand the scope and consequences of its recent extraordinary policies,” the senator said in the statement, adding that he could not vote for Yellen’s confirmation.

Eighteen senators did not vote Monday. Of the 18 who didn't vote, most of them, including noted Fed critic Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), were reportedly unable to return to the nation's capital due to inclement weather.

These are the 18 senators who didn’t vote:

1. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
2. Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
3. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
4. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
5. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
6. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
7. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.)
8. Steve King (I-Maine)
9. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
10. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
11. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
12. Jeryr Moran (R-Kan.)
13. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
14. Rob Portman (R-Ohio)
15. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
16. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)
17. John Thune (R-S.D.)
18. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

Yellen, whose final confirmation vote was announced on Dec. 19, will take over just weeks after the Fed announced it would reduce its $85 billion monthly bond purchases by at least $10 billion in 2014.

President Barack Obama nominated Yellen in October after considering selecting Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary who had been a close Obama adviser early in his presidency. Summers withdrew after opponents complained about his temperament and past support for bank deregulation.

Obama called Yellen a "proven leader" and hailed her frequent focus on the unemployed, saying, "She understands the human cost when people can't find a job."

She will be the first Fed chair appointed by a Democratic president since Paul Volcker, who was appointed by President Jimmy Carter, left the post in 1987.

Yellen will preside over her first Fed meetings as chair on March 18 and 19.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This post has been updated.

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