The Senate voted 48-47 on Monday to confirm White House chief economist Stephen Miran to the Federal Reserve board, paving the way for him to participate in the central bank’s interest-rate setting meeting that begins Tuesday.

Miran’s addition to the Fed will be President Donald Trump’s first concrete mark on the institution during his second term, and it could give him unusually direct influence over a member of the central bank, which is designed to be insulated from short-term political pressures.

Miran is merely taking a leave of absence from his job as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, rather than resigning, an arrangement that Republican senators decided not to contest, citing the fact that Miran’s term on the Fed is set to expire in January.

Trump has spent much of the year haranguing Fed Chair Jerome Powell for keeping rates elevated, and Miran has also suggested that borrowing costs should be cut. But Powell has already signaled that the Fed will lower rates this week regardless of the Trump adviser’s presence, citing weakening in the job market.

Miran, who holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, says he plans to return to the White House at the end of his term, though he has not formally committed to leaving the Fed at that time and could stay on indefinitely unless the president taps someone else for the seat.

The length of his tenure could depend on whether Trump is successful in his bid to fire Fed board member Lisa Cook, a matter that is being litigated. If Cook stays at the central bank, Miran’s seat could be the only open spot available for Trump’s choice for Fed chair.

Before joining the White House, Miran proposed reforms to the Fed that would give the president more authority over the central bank, including making it easier to fire board members and shortening their 14-year terms.

Since his time in the administration, he has argued that tariffs are unlikely to lead to the kind of inflation that would require a policy response from the Fed. Powell, for his part, has cited uncertainty over the impact of tariffs on prices as a prime reason that he held the line on interest rates, but in recent weeks has cited risks to the job market as more pressing.

House Republican leaders are moving to again head off votes trying to cancel much of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff regime.

A procedural measure Republicans on the Rules Committee advanced Monday night would extend until March 31 a block on efforts by Democrats and several Republicans to end the national emergencies underlying Trump’s sweeping tariffs — including on Mexico, Canada, Brazil and his “liberation day” levies from April.

It would also block “resolutions of inquiry,” measures that can be used by the House to compel the release of information from the executive branch.

The House is set to vote Tuesday on the measure, which also tees up several D.C. crime- and governance-related bills for floor debate.

GOP leaders have struggled to keep their ranks in line on tariff-related votes. On Monday, their bid to strangle a Democratic-led effort to end Trump’s Brazil levies succeeded only narrowly, 200-198.

A group of GOP senators are working on legislation to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies with policy changes designed to win over conservatives, according to four people granted anonymity to disclose private discussions.

This group has gotten “technical assistance” from the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the subsidies, according to two of the sources. The Obamacare subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican running for governor, said in an interview Monday he was “part of that group that’s working on the wording to make sure we do it right.”

An expiration of the credits, he said, “would hurt my state, Alabama.”

The development comes as Democrats are mounting a huge push to make an extension of the enhanced tax credits necessary for them to support a bill that funds the government beyond Sept. 30. It also comes as a growing number of Republicans say failure to act on such an extension would be a political mistake heading into the midterms.

Congressional budget scorers estimate that millions of people would be forced to drop their health insurance plans as a result of higher premiums that could kick in as a result of the letting the subsidies sunset.

House Republicans have already joined with some Democrats on a bill that would extend the credits for one year but not impose any new restrictions on who can take advantage of the subsidies. In contrast, the Senate bill, which is not being driven by leadership, appears to be in its early stages, according to two of the people aware of the effort.

It also remains unclear which GOP senator is spearheading this effort, and which Republicans other than Tuberville are at the table. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), in an interview Monday, wouldn’t say whether she was involved but said, “we’ve got to get some level of consensus.”

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to get a permanent extension; I don’t think that’s wise,” she said. “I’m looking to perhaps do some some reforms to it, but I think it is something that we are going to be forced to deal with, to reckon with, in my state.”

Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) also acknowledged in an interview that Republicans will likely need to address the issue: “I believe at some point we’re going to need to deal with it.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who authored the legislation that first boosted the credits in 2021, has been talking to Republican colleagues about where their party might be able to land on the issue, according to a person granted anonymity to share confidential conversations between lawmakers. She’s also encouraging Republicans to work behind-the-scenes to build support inside their conference.

“There are still many questions still left to sort out,” the person added.

If the proposal comes to fruition, it could emerge as a consensus measure for Republicans: Conservatives are broadly in favor of tying some reforms to the subsidies they claim are currently wasteful, expensive and overwhelmingly benefit higher-earners.

Among the floated ideas include putting a new income cap on who can claim the bigger subsidies, while some outside groups are expected to push for language that would prohibit the tax credits from helping offset cost of insurance plans that cover abortions.

It’s not clear Democrats would accept terms and conditions for extending the tax credits, but Shaheen, in a statement, said any discussions across the aisle were a positive development.

“I’m glad that some of my Republican colleagues recognize the need to get something done to avoid the largest health insurance premium price increases in 15 years — which would boot more than four million Americans from their health care and make costs skyrocket for millions more,” she said. “If Senate Republicans fail to come to the table in a meaningful way, they’ll have to explain to their constituents why they took away a tool to make health care affordable for working families at a time when too many are struggling to make ends meet.”

She added, “The only way we will avoid this bad outcome is if Republicans will come to the table in good faith so we can find a path forward.”