It turned out that US Treasury Secretary Jenet Yellen, who visited Ford’s electric car factory the previous day, was traveling in economy class on a scheduled plane on her way to Michigan, where the factory is located.
Footage emerging from the plane shows Yellen sitting in the 19th row and examining the briefing file specially prepared for her before the meeting.
The fact that Yellen, a senior minister, flew in economy class instead of ‘business’ or ‘first class’ brought to mind Steven Mnuchin, the former US president, Trump-era Treasury Secretary.
Mnuchin’s wife, Louise Linton, was the target of criticism by traveling on a US government plane while her husband was in office.
Linton’s frequent photographs with luxury clothing brands such as Hermes and Valentino also caused reactions in the US public.
‘WE EXPERIENCED THE FASTEST EMPLOYMENT CREATION IN HISTORY’
In her speech at the Ford factory, Yellen talked about the economic policies implemented by the US President Joe Biden administration and its positive effects on the economy.
Noting that the economy is recovering after the pandemic, the Treasury Secretary also said, “With a full employment economy now, we are uniquely suited for a supply-side expansion that ensures sustainable growth and reduces inequality. Due to the American Recovery Plan and our vaccination campaign, the US experienced the fastest rate of job creation in our history. “Household balance sheets are strong and businesses continue to invest,” he said.
US President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package in March 2021, allowing for payments of up to $1,400 for most Americans. The package, which expanded the child tax credit by $300 a week in unemployment insurance, included $20 billion in support for Covid-19 vaccines and millions of dollars in rental assistance.
BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN FED PRESIDENT AND TREASURY MINISTER
Yellen, a business professor at the University of California, Berkeley, served as chairman of the San Francisco Fed and chair of the White House Economic Advisory Council under Bill Clinton, one of the US presidents in the 1990s.
Yellen, who served as the FED Vice Chairman between 2010-2014, served as the FED Chairman between 2014-2018.
Yellen, who served as the first female president of the institution, left the FED Presidency on February 3, 2018, after a 4-year tenure when she was not nominated again by the then US President Trump.
Yellen, who was nominated for the US Department of the Treasury by the new US President Joe Biden in November 2020, took office in January 2021 as the first female US Secretary of the Treasury.