[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 5, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Nomination of Adriana Debora Kugler

  Mr. President, the last is Dr. Adriana Kugler, who is one of the 
Nation's labor economists--top labor economists--with an impressive 
record in both government and academic service. She is unquestionably 
qualified. She possesses bipartisan support from top economists and 
civil rights organizations. She serves as the executive director of the 
World Bank. She was confirmed via a unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate 
for that job, and she has played a critical role in the global economic 
recovery.
  Prior to serving at the World Bank, she was an economist at the 
Department of Labor and taught economics and public policy at 
Georgetown University. In being a first-generation American and the 
daughter of Colombian immigrants, Dr. Kugler has firsthand knowledge of 
runaway prices and limited employment opportunities.
  During her nomination hearing testimony, she shared how witnessing 
adversity and poverty in the country she was born in had deepened her 
understanding of the need for fighting inflation and promoting full 
employment.
  If confirmed, she would be the first Hispanic American to serve on 
the Board of Governors in the history of the Federal Reserve--again, 
beginning in 1913. Her confirmation would be a critical step forward in 
bringing more diverse perspectives to our Nation's central bank, not 
just diversity in the way these nominees look but diversity in the way 
they think, which is something we simply have not seen much of in the 
kind of elitist institutions like the Board of Governors of the Federal 
Reserve.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Dr. 
Jefferson's, Dr. Cook's, and Dr. Kruger's nominations--all have 
bipartisan support--so we can have all seven seats on the Board of 
Governors filled with qualified experts helping in our economic 
recovery.
  I spoke to Chair Jerome Powell today about this and some other 
things. We discussed how important it is to the Fed that we have all 
seven spots in the Federal Reserve confirmed. It has been a long time 
since we have done that. This week is our opportunity.
  I ask my colleagues to move forward on these nominations.
  I yield the floor.