Washington (CNN) Republican senators whose opposition tanked President Donald Trump's Federal Reserve picks earlier this year sounded optimistic Tuesday about the President's replacement choices.

Trump last week announced his intention to nominate Judy Shelton , a member of the board of directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and economist Christopher Waller , who is research director at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, for vacant seats on the Fed's Board of Governors.

"I'm pleased that they are economists, because I think it's important to have people with a background in economic study as opposed to people whose background is politics," Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney told reporters. "We have an upgrade in the nominees and I'll be looking at their record to see whether I can support them."

Trump's announcement comes as he continues to wage an unprecedented pressure campaign on the Fed -- the world's most powerful central bank -- for interest rate cuts heading into his 2020 campaign.

"Strong jobs report, low inflation, and other countries around the world doing anything possible to take advantage of the United States, knowing that our Federal Reserve doesn't have a clue!" Trump tweeted last week.

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