Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Wednesday he will not consider a nominee to replace ousted Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook until courts decide whether President Donald Trump’s decision to remove her was lawful, a stance that all but ensures the seat will remain vacant while the case is litigated.
“I’m not going to consider anybody until that’s been adjudicated,” the North Carolina senator, who is retiring next year, told reporters Wednesday.
Trump moved last week to dismiss Cook, a Biden-appointed Federal Reserve governor, citing allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook has since filed suit to block her removal, arguing the president lacks authority to fire her from the board. A second criminal referral related to mortgage fraud has also been filed against her.
Tillis, a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, is considered a key swing vote on Federal Reserve nominees. With Republicans holding a narrow 13–11 majority on the panel, the GOP would likely need unanimous support to advance any pick. Committee Democrats have said the Senate should not move forward with Fed nominations while the Cook dispute remains unresolved, POLITICO reported.
“I’m going to leave it to the courts to decide whether or not it’s legal,” Tillis said of the Cook firing. “But if in fact it is to be for cause, it’s dubious whether or not — even if these events are as they’ve been described — [they’re] a basis for cause. If it’s a move to really kind of create a partisan divide in the Fed, then I’m against it on that basis.”
“I have no interest in moves that would make the Fed really come under direct control of the executive branch,” Tillis added in a separate interview. Despite the Cook dispute, Senate Republicans plan to proceed with Trump’s nominee for another Fed board seat, Stephen Miran, who is scheduled to appear before the Banking Committee for a confirmation hearing Thursday.
Key Republicans, including Tillis, have signaled they are inclined to back Miran’s nomination. Tillis said he planned to meet with him Wednesday. Miran, who chairs Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, was nominated to fill a Fed board vacancy created by the resignation of Gov. Adriana Kugler. If confirmed, he would serve until her term ends on Jan. 31, 2026.