New Delhi, April 29 -- Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve, cleared a key procedural hurdle on Wednesday, opening the way for him to succeed Jerome Powell in the coming weeks amid the White House's unprecedented efforts to exert control over the world's most powerful central bank.

The Senate Banking Committee voted along party lines to advance Warsh's nomination to the full Republican-controlled Senate. All 13 Republicans on the panel supported Warsh after North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis dropped his opposition following the Department of Justice's decision on Friday to end a criminal investigation into Powell that Tillis viewed as a threat to the Fed's political independence.

The panel's 11 Dem...