The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Kevin Warsh as the new Federal Reserve chairman to lead a central bank whose independence is under attack and with inflation at a three-year high.

The Senate voted 54 to 45 in favor of Warsh, with Republicans holding a slim majority and ensuring U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s nominee to replace Jerome Powell was confirmed.

Once known as a monetary ¡°hawk¡± against inflation, Warsh has shifted in line with Trump¡¯s push for lower interest rates that has posed an unprecedented challenge to the Fed¡¯s independence.