Tennessee senators oppose Jacob Lew's confirmation as treasury secretary
Both Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker voted against confirming Jacob Lew as treasury secretary Wednesday, the second time the Tennessee pair has opposed one of President Barack Obama's cabinet nominees.
The senators were among the 26 Republicans to oppose Lew, who was Obama's former chief of staff and budget director.
Twenty GOP senators voted for Lew, whose confirmation was approved in a 71-26 vote.
Earlier this week, both Corker and Alexander opposed supporting Chuck Hagel, who was confirmed in a much narrower vote for defense secretary.
Following the vote, Alexander released a brief statement, saying he could not support Lew because of his alignment with the president's fiscal policies.
“I’m voting against Mr. Lew solely because of his indifference and that of the Obama administration to our nation’s biggest challenge: out-of-control automatic spending increases that continue to create a massive federal debt," Alexander said.
Corker's office issued no statement.
