Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is facing accusations of lying under oath to Congress last week after denying the central bank&#8217;s $2.5 billion headquarters renovation would include lavish amenities like private dining rooms and special elevators, despite planning documents revealing precisely those features.
Government planning documents reviewed by the Senate Banking Committee, first <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/30/business/jerome-powell-accused-of-lying-to-congress-over-2-5b-palace-of-versailles-hq-revamp/">revealed</a> by the New York Post, directly contradict Powell&#8217;s claims, specifically mentioning &#8220;private dining rooms&#8221; and a &#8220;Governors&#8217; private elevator,&#8221; as well as &#8220;vegetated roof terraces&#8221; for &#8220;urban wildlife and pollinators.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s no VIP dining room, there&#8217;s no new marble. There are no special elevators,&#8221; Powell claimed under oath on Wednesday. &#8220;There are no new water features, there&#8217;s no beehives, and there&#8217;s no roof terrace gardens.&#8221;
Powell&#8217;s testimony directly contradicts government planning documents that have not been revised since their approval in 2021.
&#8220;The private dining rooms on Level 4 (of the Fed&#8217;s Eccles building) will be restored,&#8221; reads one excerpt from the filing with the National Capital Planning Commission. &#8220;The Governors&#8217; private elevator will be extended to discharge at the dining suite level.&#8221;
According to the Post, the filing also explicitly mentions &#8220;vegetated roof terraces&#8221; featuring &#8220;urban wildlife and pollinators&#8221; in addition to new marble and water features.
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), chair of the Senate Banking Committee, branded the renovations &#8220;luxury upgrades that feel more like they belong in the Palace of Versailles.&#8221;
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Powell dismissed the price tag for the revamp, which exceeded the original estimate of $1.9 billion by 30%, saying in Wednesday&#8217;s hearing that &#8220;the cost overruns are what they are.&#8221;
Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), a majority member of the committee, said Powell &#8220;was clearly not prepared for his testimony, and should be embarrassed.&#8221;
&#8220;He made a number of factually inaccurate statements to the Committee regarding the Fed&#8217;s plush private dining room and elevator, skylights, water features, and roof terrace,&#8221; Lummis told the Post. &#8220;This is typical of the mismanagement and &#8216;don&#8217;t bother me&#8217; attitude that Chair Powell has always shown.&#8221;
Andrew T. Levin, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College who served as an economist and advisor to the Fed&#8217;s board for 20 years, called for congressional action, slamming Powell in a statement to the Post.
&#8220;A top Fed official cannot be permitted to make false statements under oath at a congressional hearing. Such statements must be promptly corrected, and in egregious cases, subject to censure by the Senate,&#8221; Levin said.
Former Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk previously called the news about the Fed&#8217;s headquarters revamp &#8220;an eyebrow raiser&#8221; and suggested the department should investigate the spending.
The controversy arises as the Fed grapples with mounting financial losses totaling $233 billion over the past three years, including a record $114.6 billion loss in 2023 — the first time in its history that the central bank has operated in the red.
Powell, whose term as Fed Chair ends in May 2026 unless renominated by President Trump, is facing scathing criticism from the president over the central bank&#8217;s refusal to cut interest rates, adding to the mounting pressure on the embattled Fed Chair.

Federal Reserve Chairman Powell Testifies Before Senate Committee

‘Palace Of Versailles’: Fed Chair Lied About $2.5B HQ Renovation, Senators Say

Congress

Federal Reserve

Jerome Powell

Politics

Trump Administration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Higher tariffs could begin raising inflation this summer, a period that will be key to Federal Reserve consideration of possible rate cuts, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told members of Congress on Tuesday.
Pressed by Republican members of the House Financial Services committee about why the Fed isn&#8217;t cutting rates, as President Donald Trump has demanded, Powell said he and many at the Fed expect inflation to start rising soon, and that the central bank was in no rush to ease borrowing costs in the meantime.
Powell particularly said he would not open the door to a rate cut at the Fed&#8217;s July meeting, as two of his colleagues recently suggested, or at any other session for that matter.
&#8220;I do not want to point to a particular meeting. I don&#8217;t think we need to be in any rush,&#8221; given a still-strong labor market and so much uncertainty about the impact of the still-unresolved tariff debate, Powell said.
Referring to expected tariff-driven price increases, Powell said &#8220;we should start to see this over the summer, in the June number and the July number. &#8230; If we don&#8217;t we are perfectly open to the idea that the pass-through (to consumers) will be less than we think, and if we do that will matter for policy.&#8221;
“I think if it turns out that inflation pressures remain contained we will get to a place where we cut rates sooner than later,&#8221; he said.
With the central bank largely sidelined waiting for the outcome of the Trump administration&#8217;s tariff negotiations, Powell was quizzed repeatedly about why the central bank seemed preoccupied with that issue and isn&#8217;t cutting rates given that inflation so far has been modest.
Powell said that Fed policy isn&#8217;t meant to endorse or criticize the Trump administration&#8217;s approach to trade, only to deal with an inflation impact that the Fed and forecasts more broadly expect to gather momentum over the rest of the year.
&#8220;We aren&#8217;t commenting on tariffs,&#8221; Powell said. &#8220;Our job is keeping inflation under control, and when policies have short- and medium-term, meaningful, implications, then inflation becomes our job.&#8221;
&#8220;All professional forecasters I know of&#8230;expect a meaningful increase in inflation over the course of this year,&#8221; Powell said, elaborating on the Fed&#8217;s reluctance to cut rates while major aspects of Trump&#8217;s trade policy remain unresolved.
<h3>PARING BETS</h3>
In prepared testimony to the House panel, Powell noted that those effects &#8220;could be short-lived, reflecting a one-time shift in the price level. It is also possible that the inflationary effects could instead be more persistent. &#8230; For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance.&#8221;
Following the release of Powell&#8217;s testimony, investors pared bets that the central bank might cut its policy interest rate as soon as the central bank&#8217;s July meeting, and increased the perceived odds for a rate reduction in September, with another to follow later in the year.
Powell&#8217;s testimony, as is usually the case with his semiannual congressional appearances, largely tracks the central bank&#8217;s most recent policy statement, approved last week. Fed officials voted unanimously at that meeting to hold the benchmark interest rate steady in the current 4.25% to 4.5% range, and gave no indication rate cuts were imminent.
New economic projections released at the time showed officials at the median expect two quarter-point rate cuts by the end of the year, in line with current market pricing.
In recent days, two Fed governors, both Trump appointees, have said rates could fall as soon as the July meeting, given inflation has not yet risen in response to tariffs, while three reserve bank presidents said they still worry inflation will intensify over the rest of the year.
Trump, who appointed Powell as chair in his first term but is expected to replace him when his term ends next spring, has repeatedly called for steep rate cuts.
&#8220;We should be at least two to three points lower,&#8221; he said in a social media post ahead of the hearing, adding in reference to Powell that he hoped &#8220;Congress really works this very dumb, hardheaded person, over.&#8221;
(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks at a press conference in Washington

Jerome Powell Suggests Delaying Rate Cuts Beyond July Meeting While Fed Studies Tariff Impact

Donald Trump

Economy

Inflation

Interest Rates

Tariffs

Washington D.C.

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, recently tapped by President Trump as the central bank’s top bank overseer, said Monday the time to cut interest rates may be fast approaching as she is growing more worried about risks to the job market and is less concerned tariffs will cause an inflation problem.
“It is time to consider adjusting the policy rate,” Bowman said in the text of remarks to be delivered before a gathering held in Prague, Czech Republic. Bowman said inflation appears to be on a sustained path back to 2%, and she said she expects “only minimal impact” on inflation from trade policy.
“Should inflation pressures remain contained, I would support lowering the policy rate as soon as our next meeting in order to bring it closer to its neutral setting and to sustain a healthy labor market,” Bowman said.
Last week, the Federal Reserve meeting in a gathering that left its overnight target-rate range fixed between 4.25% and 4.5%. Officials remained in a wait-and-see mode amid the considerable economic uncertainty created by President Donald Trump’s erratically implemented trade policy. Fed officials are worried surging import taxes could depress growth while restarting what had been cooling inflation pressures.
Bowman said in her speech that she supported the Fed’s decision to hold steady. But she appears to see far fewer storm clouds ahead for the economy, and in her speech, she said more clarity is arriving over the outlook. Bowman’s openness to cutting rates is joined by that of Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fed-reserve-gov-says-rate-cuts-should-be-considered-as-trump-ramps-up-pressure-on-powell">said</a> in a television interview Friday he’d also consider a rate cut at the July 29-30 meeting. Waller is widely considered to be in the running to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends next year.
Trump has repeatedly pressured the Fed to pursue very large rate cuts amid insults to Powell. Observers believe any Fed chair would need to align with Trump’s desire for much lower short-term borrowing costs.
In her remarks, Bowman noted the job market is still in a good place, but she’s more worried about what lies ahead for the sector, and that’s part of what’s informing her dovish monetary policy views.
“We should also recognize that downside risks to our employment mandate could soon become more salient, given recent softness in spending and signs of fragility in the labor market,” Bowman said.
The Fed official was also quite sanguine on the inflation outlook, saying “it appears that any upward pressure from higher tariffs on goods prices is being offset by other factors and that the underlying trend in core [Personal Consumption Expenditures] inflation is moving much closer to our 2% target than is currently apparent in the data.”
(Reporting by Michael S. Derby, Editing by Louise Heavens)

Federal Reserve Board Governor Michelle Bowman

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Open To Cutting Interest Rates At Next Meeting

U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The Federal Reserve should consider cutting interest rates at its next meeting given recent tame inflation data and the fact that any price shock from import tariffs will be short-lived, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Friday.
Waller&#8217;s dovish outlook for monetary policy comes as President Donald Trump is approaching the selection of a replacement for Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends next year. Trump has been aggressively pushing the Fed to cut rates amid a flurry of insults directed at Powell. Waller is widely considered to be in the mix for a potential Powell successor, and his current monetary policy inclinations favoring lower rates might boost his prospects to become the next Fed chair.
&#8220;Any tariff inflation &#8230; I don&#8217;t think is going to be that big and we should just look through it in terms of setting policy,&#8221; Waller said on CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box.&#8221; &#8220;The data the last few months has been showing that trend inflation is looking pretty good &#8230; We could do this as early as July.&#8221;
Waller&#8217;s remarks on monetary policy were the first public comments by a central banker in the wake of this week&#8217;s Federal Open Market Committee policy meeting, which left the central bank&#8217;s interest rate target range set between 4.25% and 4.5%. In forecasts released at the meeting officials stuck with expectations they&#8217;ll be able to cut rates twice this year.
Trump blasted Powell before the Fed meeting, saying, “We have a stupid person, frankly, at the Fed. I guess he’s a political guy, I don’t know. He’s a political guy who’s not a smart person.”
As for when those cuts might take place, the Fed offered little guidance. Speaking after the FOMC meeting, Powell cautioned there&#8217;s considerable uncertainty around the outlook amid the big changes in trade policy being pushed through by the Trump administration. He also warned that the tariff policy pursued by the president is almost certain to push up inflation, but it&#8217;s unclear by how much and for how long, and because of that, it&#8217;s hard to say what monetary policy needs to do right now.
&#8220;For the time being we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,&#8221; Powell told reporters.
The challenging nature of the economic outlook got a fresh update on Friday with data from the Philadelphia Fed, which showed factories in the bank&#8217;s district saw contracting activity for a third straight month amid a particularly weak turn for hiring within the sector.
Waller&#8217;s openness to cutting interest rates starting at the July 29-30 FOMC meeting leaves him well apart from most of his colleagues based on their public comments. Waller has argued for some time that textbook understandings of tariff impacts all point to a one-time hit the Fed can look through, and he doubts the president&#8217;s import tax surge will create more persistent price gains.
Waller, in making the case for cuts, noted that the inflation trends have already been cooling and monetary policy is well above the level deemed to be neutral in its impact on the economy. What&#8217;s more, he said he&#8217;s seeing signs of incipient weakness in the labor market, citing challenges by new college graduates to find work. Waller noted that cutting rates sooner rather than later might be good for hiring.
&#8220;I&#8217;m all in favor of saying maybe we should start thinking about cutting the policy rate at the next meeting, because we don&#8217;t want to wait till the job market tanks before we start cutting the policy rate,&#8221; Waller said.
(Reporting by Howard Schneider and Michael S. Derby; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Andrea Ricci)

Donald Trump/Jerome Powell

Fed Reserve Gov Says Rate Cuts Should Be Considered As Trump Ramps Up Pressure On Powell

The Federal Reserve voted to leave the benchmark interest rate between 4.25% and 4.5%, despite the economy&#8217;s &#8220;solid position.&#8221;
&#8220;For the time being, we are well-positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,&#8221; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-WAOqotRl8">said</a> in a press conference following the decision.
The Consumer Price Index rose 2.4% in May, up from 2.3% in April — its lowest point in four years, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inflation-hits-lowest-point-in-over-4-years-as-april-report-better-than-expected?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Inflation+Hits+Lowest+Point+In+Over+4+Years+As+April+Report+Better+Than+Expected">reported</a>.
&#8220;Inflation remains somewhat elevated,&#8221; the Federal Reserve <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20250618a.htm">said</a> today in a press release. &#8220;Uncertainty about the economic outlook has diminished but remains elevated.&#8221;
Earlier today, President Donald Trump <a href="https://x.com/theMRC/status/1935336312086675879">said</a> the Federal Reserve &#8220;probably won&#8217;t cut.&#8221;
&#8220;We have a stupid person, frankly, at the Fed,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I guess he&#8217;s a political guy, I don&#8217;t know. He&#8217;s a political guy who&#8217;s not a smart person.&#8221;
Powell said the Federal Open Market Committee&#8217;s stance is &#8220;not complicated.&#8221;
&#8220;What everyone on the FOMC wants is a good, solid American economy with strong labor market and price stability, that&#8217;s what we want,&#8221; Powell said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what matters to us. That&#8217;s pretty much all that matters to us.&#8221;
Powell said the country could still see negative economic effects from tariffs.
&#8220;Expectations of that [tariff] level, and thus of the related economic effects, reached a peak in April and have since declined,&#8221; Powell said in a press conference following the decision. &#8220;Even so, increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity.&#8221;
The CPI has shown little impacts from Trump&#8217;s tariffs over the past three months, The Daily Wire previously reported. The index for food increased slightly compared to April, but the indexes for energy and gas decreased by 1% and 2.6%, respectively.
Powell said the Federal Reserve still expects to see impacts from tariffs this summer.
&#8220;It takes some time for tariffs to work their way through the chain of distribution to the end consumer,&#8221; Powell said. &#8220;We&#8217;re beginning to see some effects, and we do expect to see more of them over the coming months.&#8221;
But he said the ultimate effects of tariffs are &#8220;highly uncertain.&#8221;
Trump also said he would not reappoint Powell.
&#8220;I would have never reappointed him, Biden reappointed him,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He&#8217;s done a very poor job. So we have no inflation, we have only success, and I&#8217;d like to see interest rates get down.&#8221;
Despite maintaining interest rates, Powell said the economy shows no sign of weakening.
&#8220;The U.S. economy has defied all kinds of forecasts for it to weaken, really, over the last three years,&#8221; Powell said. &#8220;Eventually it will, but we don&#8217;t see signs of that now.&#8221;

Federal Reserve Chair Powell Holds Press Conference On Interest Rates

Federal Reserve Refuses To Cut Interest Rates

On Thursday morning, the day after the Federal Reserve voted to leave the benchmark interest rate between 4.25% and 4.5%, President Donald Trump targeted Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, calling him a “fool who doesn’t have a clue” while adding, “I like him very much!”
“‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell is a FOOL, who doesn’t have a clue. Other than that, I like him very much! Oil and Energy way down, almost all costs (groceries and ‘eggs’) down, virtually NO INFLATION, Tariff Money Pouring Into the U.S. — THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ‘TOO LATE!’ ENJOY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Too Late” Jerome Powell is a FOOL, who doesn’t have a clue. Other than that, I like him very much! Oil and Energy way down, almost all costs (groceries and “eggs”) down, virtually NO INFLATION, Tariff Money Pouring Into the U.S. — THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF “TOO LATE!” ENJOY!
From…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1920433381654909340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Fed stated that it doesn’t want to lower interest rates until economic forecasts — which have been in the doldrums since Trump announced his tariff policy — become brighter, adding that the “risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen,” CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/08/trump-calls-fed-chair-jerome-powell-a-fool-after-central-bank-keeps-rates-steady.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“We are always going to do the same thing, which is we are going to use our tools to foster maximum employment and price stability for the benefit of the American people,” Powell — who was initially nominated to his post by Trump in November 2017, then reappointed by President Joe Biden — said. “We are always going to consider only the economic data, the outlook, the balance of risks and that’s it. That’s all we are going to consider.”
In February 2024, Trump said he would not reappoint Powell, whose term ends in May 2026, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/02/economy/trump-reappoint-fed-chair-jerome-powell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling</a> Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, “It looks to me like he’s trying to lower interest rates for the sake of maybe getting people elected, I don’t know. I think he’s going to do something to probably help the Democrats, I think, if he lowers interest rates.”
In mid-April, Powell <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/who-appoints-fed-chair-and-can-trump-fire-jerome-powell-what-to-know/3724729/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Economic Club of Chicago, &#8220;For the time being, we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity&#8221; on the impact of Trump’s policy changes. Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114352766082542122">responded</a> the next day, “The ECB is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, ‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete ‘mess!’ Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS. Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”
On Sunday, Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/read-full-transcript-president-donald-trump-interviewed-meet-press-mod-rcna203514" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> of Powell on “NBC’s “Meet The Press,&#8221; saying Powell should lower interest rates, adding, “We are at a perfect time. It’s already late. But he should lower interest rates.”
When host Kristen Welker asked if he would rule out removing Powell, Trump replied, “I get to change him very quickly anyway.”
“You don’t have plans to remove him before 2026 when his time’s up?” Welker pressed.
“No, no, no. That was a total — why would I do that? I get to replace the person in another short period of time,” Trump answered.

MixCollage-08-May-2025-11-15-AM-5067

Fed Says It Won’t Lower Interest Rates. Trump Calls Powell A ‘Fool Who Doesn’t Have A Clue.’

Executive

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to hold interest rates steady while Chairman Jerome Powell warned that tariffs and trade wars are creating inflationary pressures.
“If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they’re likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth, and an increase in unemployment,” Powell said at a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0ZL_52K74" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news conference</a>.
Powell also said that the economic picture in the United States is unclear. He said he does not know “which way this will shake out” whether to be concerned or not about U.S. economic growth.
“It’s really not at all clear what it is we should do,” said Powell.
The Fed’s vote on Wednesday will keep interest rates at 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent, where they have remained since December after some cuts to interest rates last year.
President Donald Trump has placed tariffs on dozens of countries, focusing particularly on top U.S. trading partners Canada, China, and Mexico. The tariffs and the White House messaging around them has sent the stock market into chaos at points over the past couple of months.
 While Canada and Mexico have negotiated with the Trump administration over immigration, drug trafficking, and other issues, Beijing has ratcheted up tensions with Washington. Talks between China and the United States have not yet started, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that a date had been set for U.S. officials to meet with officials from Beijing.
“I was going to be in Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss. Turns out, the Chinese team is traveling through Europe and they will be in Switzerland also. So, we will meet on Saturday and Sunday,” the treasury secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breakthrough-trump-officials-set-date-for-direct-trade-talks-with-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
While tariff talk has spooked markets, Trump has pursued a business-friendly deregulatory agenda and promised an extension of his 2017 tax cuts.
“We are making great progress on ‘The One, Big, Beautiful Bill.’ Our Economy is doing well, but it’s going to BOOM in a way never seen before,” Trump said in a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114468755257430424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Wednesday. “We are going to do NO TAX ON TIPS, NO TAX ON SENIORS’ SOCIAL SECURITY, NO TAX ON OVERTIME, and much more. It will be the biggest Tax Cut for Middle and Working Class Americans by far, and it is time for Main Street to WIN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Fed Makes Interest Rate Decision With Inflation Concerns As Backdrop

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday after he called for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates – seven months after Warren told the Federal Reserve the same.
Warren appeared on CNBC on Thursday and said that Trump was risking a market “crash” after he posted on Truth Social that the Federal Reserve chairman’s “termination cannot come fast enough!” Trump has expressed frustration with the Fed chairman, Jerome Powell, in recent days over the level of the federal funds rate.
Warren said that Trump’s post was a threat to fire Powell. As an independent agency, the Federal Reserve’s chairman can only be removed by the president “for cause,” according to a 1935 Supreme Court ruling. “For cause” is typically interpreted to exclude disagreements over monetary policy.
“Understand this: if Chairman Powell can be fired by the president of the United States, it will crash the markets in the United States,” Warren said. “The infrastructure that keeps this stock market strong – and therefore a big part of our economy strong, and therefore a big part of the world economy strong – is the idea that the big pieces move independent of the politics, that somebody is making his/their/her best decisions economically and independently.”
“If interest rates in the United States are subject to a president who just wants to wave his magic wand, this doesn&#8217;t distinguish us then from any other two bit dictatorship around the world,” she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ELIZABETH WARREN: &quot;IF CHAIRMAN POWELL CAN BE FIRED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, IT WILL CRASH THE MARKETS IN THE UNITED STATES.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tuKbsvijW6">pic.twitter.com/tuKbsvijW6</a>
&mdash; The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) <a href="https://twitter.com/scottmelker/status/1913000373654077727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Under the Biden administration, Warren, now the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, repeatedly pushed Powell to cut interest rates despite high levels of inflation. She argued that interest rates needed to come down to make housing more affordable.
In one of those letters sent in September, Warren pushed the Federal Reserve to cut the federal funds rate by “75 basis points.” “If the Fed is too cautious in cutting rates, it would needlessly risk our economy heading towards a recession,” the <a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/warren_hickenlooper_whitehouse_letter_to_fed_re_september_rate_cut.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> said.
Trump on Thursday appeared to vent in a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114352766082542122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> about the federal funds rate, which is set by the Federal Open Market Committee and influences other interest rates. The president suggested that Powell was acting late to cut rates as the European Central Bank prepares to cut its own interest rates.
“The ECB is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, ‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete ‘mess!’ Trump posted. “Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS.”
“Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” Trump wrote.

Elizabeth Warren

Liz Warren Blasts Trump For Asking Fed To Lower Rates. Here’s What She Said When Biden Was President

Joe Biden

President Donald Trump on Thursday called for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, saying that his termination couldn&#8217;t come &#8220;fast enough.&#8221;
Trump’s call on Truth Social comes a day after Powell delivered remarks critical of the president at the Economic Club of Chicago. Trump contrasted Powell’s handling of interest rates with the European Central Bank (ECB), which announced interest rate cuts on Thursday. 
“The ECB is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, ‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete ‘mess!’ Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114352766082542122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on his social media network. “Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”
Trump has <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114280322706682564">repeatedly</a> called for Powell to cut interest rates, saying that the Fed chair was “playing politics” with the economy earlier this month. 
On Wednesday, Powell <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o_9kO0zZQg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he believed Trump’s tariffs would cause inflation. Trump has imposed a baseline 10% tariff on most American trading partners, a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, and select tariffs on other products, such as automobiles. 
“Tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation,&#8221; Powell said. &#8220;The inflationary effects could also be more persistent. Avoiding that outcome will depend on the size of the effects, on how long it takes for them to pass through fully to prices, and, ultimately, on keeping longer-term inflation expectations well anchored.&#8221; 
Powell added that he was waiting “for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance.”
“We’re always going to be aiming for maximum employment and price stability,&#8221; he said. “I do think we’ll be moving away from those goals for the balance of this year, or at least not making any progress, and then we’ll resume that progress as we can.”
Trump has said that the tariffs are generating billions in revenue for the federal government and are necessary to get more favorable trade deals for the United States. On Thursday, he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114353201227355474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that “every nation” wants to meet over the tariffs, including China. The president and his staff met with Japan on Wednesday and are expected to meet with Italy on Thursday to discuss the tariffs. 
Powell&#8217;s post as chair of the Fed runs through May 2026. He previously <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/11/07/congress/feds-powell-says-trump-cant-fire-him-00188311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that it would be unlawful for Trump to remove him.

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Inflation cooled faster than economists’ expectations in the month of March, though the impacts of tariffs could still mitigate those gains.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), an estimate of the price of all household consumer goods and services, <a href="https://www.barrons.com/livecoverage/cpi-report-inflation-data-march" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rose</a> by 2.4% year-over-year in March, beating economists’ expectations of a 2.6% increase, though still higher than the Federal Reserve’s goal of 2%. Core CPI, a measure of CPI excluding more volatile food and fuel prices, rose 2.8% year-over-year, less than the predicted 3%.
While inflation is cooling, Federal Reserve officials and experts have signaled that interest rate cuts might not happen in the near term. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday that President Donald Trump’s fast-moving trade policies should be given some time before the Fed looks at interest rate adjustments either way.
Mohamed El-Erian, president of Queens’ College, Cambridge, and chief economic adviser at Allianz SE, made a similar comment Thursday morning on X, noting the positive inflation signs might not immediately impact interest rates.
“US CPI inflation for March was better (lower) than the consensus forecasts — across the board. The monthly price changes came in at -0.1% for headline and 0.1% for core. This took the annual measures down to 2.4% and 2.8%, respectively — low levels not seen for several years,” El-Erian said.
“The forward-looking information content of these numbers is heavily influenced by how you think all the news on tariffs will impact price/wage-setting behavior, as well as household/corporate impact on aggregate demand,” he added.
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US CPI inflation for March was better (lower) than the consensus forecasts — across the board. The monthly price changes came in at -0.1% for headline and 0.1% for core. This took the annual measures down to 2.4% and 2.8%, respectively — low levels not seen for several years.… <a href="https://t.co/xDeYFZ8y0W">https://t.co/xDeYFZ8y0W</a>
&mdash; Mohamed A. El-Erian (@elerianm) <a href="https://twitter.com/elerianm/status/1910313276660916421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari wrote in an <a href="https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2025/potential-implications-of-announced-tariffs-for-monetary-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">essay</a> Wednesday morning – before the inflation report or Trump’s 90-day pause on most tariffs on most countries was announced – that interest rates should stay the same until tariffs have more time to take effect.
“In my view, the hurdle to change the federal funds rate one way or the other has increased due to the tariffs. Given the paramount importance of keeping long-run inflation expectations anchored and the likely boost to near-term inflation from tariffs, the bar for cutting rates even in the face of a weakening economy and potentially increased unemployment is higher,” Kashkari wrote. “Given that we don’t yet know how many countries will respond to the tariffs and whether we are beginning a trade war with tit-for-tat tariff increases, the risk of unanchoring inflation expectations seems to have increased notably.”

Inflation Cools Faster Than Expected In March: ‘Low Levels Not Seen For Several Years’

consumer Price Index

In another sign of the success of the Trump administration, the inflation rate for February came in lower than economists had predicted, with core consumer prices dropping to their lowest level in nearly four years.
“The annual core consumer price inflation rate in the United States, which excludes items such as food and energy, eased to 3.1% in February 2025, from 3.3% in the prior month and below market expectations of 3.2%. It is the lowest figure since April 2021,” Trading Economics <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/core-inflation-rate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Today’s CPI report shows inflation is declining and the economy is moving in the right direction under President Trump. Core consumer prices, which is the best measure of inflation, dropped to its lowest level in FOUR years. This inflation report, much like last week’s jobs report, is far better than the media predicted and the so-called ‘experts’ expected,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/03/winning-inflation-eases-as-job-creation-soars-and-border-security-pays-off/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrated</a> on Wednesday morning.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) at the Labor Department, the consumer price index only rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2%, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.8%. The Federal Reserve has a goal of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/12/business/trump-tariffs-steel-aluminum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reducing</a> inflation to 2.0%. BLS also reported that inflation-adjusted average hourly earnings rose 0.1% in February, up 1.2% from one year ago.
“Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 0.3% increases on both headline and core, with respective annual rates of 2.9% and 3.2%, meaning that all of the rates were 0.1 percentage point less than expected,” CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/12/cpi-inflation-report-february-2025.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“A deceleration in airfares and gas prices helped drive February’s cooldown,” Barron’s <a href="https://www.barrons.com/livecoverage/cpi-report-inflation-data-february" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>. The slowing of inflation might cause Federal Reserve officials to consider rate cuts. “The Fed plays closer attention to a separate gauge that analysts said could show firmer price pressures in February. That reading won&#8217;t appear until later this month, but a third inflation series due Thursday will tell officials where their preferred measure is likely to stand,” The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/cpi-report-today-inflation-stock-market-03-12-2025/card/what-the-february-inflation-report-means-for-the-fed-V7gk6Avq1zLyk5Cu2Y2V">noted</a>. The current policy rate from the Fed rests between 4.25%-4.50%.
“The February CPI release showed further signs of progress on underlying inflation, with the pace of price increases moderating after January’s strong release,” Kay Haigh of Goldman Sachs Asset Management reacted. “While the Fed is still likely to remain on hold at this month’s meeting, the combination of easing inflationary pressures and rising downside risks to growth suggest that the Fed is moving closer to continuing its easing cycle.”
“A lot of this inflation data does not incorporate what is to come and what already has happened for tariffs,” Kevin Gordon, senior investment strategist at Charles Schwab, warned. “The vagaries and uncertainties associated with policy are still a much stronger force in the market than anything CPI-related or in terms of one data point.”
Egg prices rose 10.4% in February, but the Trump administration is addressing that problem; in February, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins <a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/02/26/usda-invests-1-billion-combat-avian-flu-and-reduce-egg-prices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a $1 billion comprehensive strategy to prevent avian influenza (HPAI) and protect the U.S. poultry industry.
“The Biden administration did little to address the repeated outbreaks and high egg prices that followed. By contrast, the Trump administration is taking the issue seriously,” Secretary Rollins stated. “American farmers need relief, and American consumers need affordable food. To every family struggling to buy eggs: We hear you, we’re fighting for you, and help is on the way.”

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More Trump Success: Core Consumer Prices Dip To Lowest Level In Almost 4 Years As Inflation Eases

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Russell Vought gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Saturday, one day after President Donald Trump tapped him to serve as the agency’s acting director.
The Senate confirmed Vought to serve as the next head of the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday night before he was tapped to also lead CFPB on Friday. One of Vought’s first acts at the CFPB was to issue a broad freeze of operations, including on new rules, guidance, investigations, and stakeholder communication.
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News: In Saturday night email obtained by RealClearPolitics, acting CFPB Director Russ Vought directs Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staff to issue no new rules, suspend effective dates of all final rules, and cease any new investigations: <a href="https://t.co/TIeSjr0mMq">pic.twitter.com/TIeSjr0mMq</a>
&mdash; Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1888409309937070128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Department of Government Efficiency, a team led by Elon Musk aimed at cutting government excess and honing operations toward Trump’s agenda, has targeted CFPB. Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1887979940269666769">posted</a> to X on Friday the message “CFPB RIP” with an emoji of a tombstone.
In addition to freezing its operations, Vought also cut off funding for the agency. The CFPB operates in a unique position relative to most of the government. Created under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the CFPB is funded directly from the Federal Reserve outside of the normal Congressional appropriations process.
“Pursuant to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, I have notified the Federal Reserve that CFPB will not be taking its next draw of unappropriated funding because it is not ‘reasonably necessary’ to carry out its duties,” Vought posted to X on Saturday night. “The Bureau&#8217;s current balance of $711.6 billion is in fact excessive in the current fiscal environment. This spigot, long contributing to CFPB&#8217;s unaccountability, is now being turned off.”
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Pursuant to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, I have notified the Federal Reserve that CFPB will not be taking its next draw of unappropriated funding because it is not &quot;reasonably necessary&quot; to carry out its duties. The Bureau&#39;s current balance of $711.6 billion is in fact…
&mdash; Russ Vought (@russvought) <a href="https://twitter.com/russvought/status/1888418946455589013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Vought’s request was made official in a letter to Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell requesting $0 in funding for the CFPB in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.
“I have determined that no additional funds are necessary to carry out the authorities of the Bureau for Fiscal Year 2025. The Bureau’s current funds are more than sufficient–and are, in fact, excessive–to carry out its authorities in a manner that is consistent with the public interest,” Vought wrote.
“In the past, the Bureau has at times opted to maintain a ‘reserve fund’ for financial contingencies. But no such fund is required by statute or necessary to fulfill the Bureau’s mandate,” he continued. “The Bureau’s new leadership will run a substantially more streamlined and efficient bureau, cut this excessive fund, and do its part to reduce the federal deficit.”
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News: In letter to FED Chairman obtained by RealClearPolitics, Trump’s acting CFPB director <a href="https://twitter.com/russvought?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RussVought</a> requests for Q3 of FY25 a grand total of… $0. <a href="https://t.co/OeCoGmenJs">pic.twitter.com/OeCoGmenJs</a>
&mdash; Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1888418397311959198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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