A US Senate committee advanced the nomination of Stephen Miran (L), President Donald Trump's choice to join the Federal Reserve board -- this takes Miran a step

A US Senate committee on Wednesday advanced the nomination of President Donald Trump's choice to join the Federal Reserve, amid mounting concerns over the central bank's longstanding political independence.

Stephen Miran, who chairs the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), passed the Senate Banking Committee's vote by 13-11, with Democratic lawmakers opposing the advancement.

Among their top concerns were his stated plans to take a leave of absence from the CEA -- rather than resigning -- if he were confirmed to the Fed's board of governors.

Nonetheless, Wednesday's vote

Trump has been ramping up pressure on the F

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