WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today issued the following statement after voting against cloture on the nomination of Ben Bernanke to serve a second term as the chairman of the Federal Reserve:

“My vote against a new term for Mr. Bernanke is intended to be a strong statement in protest of the Federal Reserve’s policies during his stewardship – against the lack of transparency in his decision-making, against special bailouts such as the government’s acquiring ownership of AIG, and against the excessive expenditures by the Federal Reserve, which were not explicitly authorized by statute.”

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