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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the U.S. central bank would have eased monetary policy by now if not for President Donald Trump’s tariff plan. When asked during a panel if the Fed would have lowered rates again this year had Trump not announced his controversial plan to impose higher levies on imported goods earlier this year, Powell said, “I think that’s right.” “In effect, we went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs and essentially all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs,” Powell said at...

The Federal Reserve delivered an unexpected blow to hopes for lower borrowing costs in the future, projecting higher inflation and higher interest rates in updated forecasts released Wednesday. While policymakers left their benchmark rate unchanged and signaled that they may cut in the second half of this year, forecasts of officials showed they expect fewer cuts next year and the year after that. The central bank held the federal funds target at 4.25 to 4.50 percent, its level since the December rate cut. But the accompanying economic projections revealed rising concern that inflation is not receding fast enough—and that rates...

@RandPaul Congress spends $2 trillion more than its revenues, the Fed then buys this debt. Congress then pays the Fed interest. The Fed then pays interest to big banks to keep cash reserves. This is how govt makes the rich richer. But it gets worse. According economist Judy Shelton: “44% of the more the Fed currently [pays to the big banks] goes to foreign banks.” So, as Congress drags our country into bankruptcy, the FED enriches rich foreign banks.

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s key inflation measure, increased just 0.1% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.1%. Core inflation also was at 0.1% for the month though it was higher on an annual level at 2.5%. Consumer spending, though, slowed sharply for the month, posting just a 0.2% increase, while the savings rate surged to 4.9%, the highest in nearly a year.

They told us DEI was progress. They told us these government jobs were building a better, more inclusive America. What they didn’t tell us is that this entire system was creating a class of emotionally broken dependents who tied their entire identity, purpose, and mental stability to a taxpayer-funded title. Now, the house of cards is collapsing, and it’s getting really ugly. Meet former federal worker Caitlin. Caitlin was so devastated after being fired from her DEI federal job, her husband found her on the fire escape, contemplating whether it was high enough to jump. He later had her committed....

The U.S. Federal Reserve just pulled off something stealthy — over four days last week, without fanfare, the Fed vacuumed up $43.6 billion in U.S. Treasurys. That’s $8.8 billion in long-dated 30-year bonds on May 8 alone, plus another $34.8 billion earlier in the week. Not exactly small change. Quietly returning to the quantitative-easing trough isn’t standard Fed housekeeping — it’s like a bank robber returning to the scene because he forgot his car keys.

I have been saying this for a while now, but I think the Federal Reserve is fighting a mythical “boogeyman” that doesn’t exist. According to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, the Fed wants “greater confidence” that inflation is cooling. And not just in headline numbers, but in core services and housing, where inflation has remained stubbornly sticky. So, the Fed’s decision to hold key interest rates steady last week was no surprise. And it wasn’t a shock either to learn that they are still in “wait-and-see” mode. But as I mentioned in a Market 360 article last week, I think they’re...

A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that American households are not bracing for a surge in inflation—instead, they’re growing more concerned about income, employment, and their financial outlook. The findings may bolster calls from President Trump and others for the Fed to begin cutting interest rates. According to the New York Fed’s April Survey of Consumer Expectations, short-term inflation expectations remained steady at 3.6 percent, while five-year expectations edged down to 2.7 percent. Although medium-term inflation expectations ticked up slightly to 3.2 percent—the highest since mid-2022—the overall picture does not reflect widespread inflation anxiety. What...

The Federal Reserve is set to extend its pause on interest rate cuts on Wednesday amid concerns that President Trump’s tariffs will unleash fresh inflationary pressures while also hurting growth, a tricky combination that could lead to painful trade-offs for the central bank. A decision to stand pat would keep interest rates at 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent, a level reached in December after a series of cuts in the second half of 2024. Fed officials are in wait-and-see mode for now. They are closely tracking the incoming data for signs that consumer prices are rising again after a multiyear...

Republicans are trying to lock in Trump’s tax cuts and Democrats are resisting. We now know that DOGE is trying to end the wasteful spending in DC. But I would really like to see tax rates on the middle class fall. The wealth gap between the top 1% of taxpayers and the bottom 50% of taxpayers is enormous. And has gotten worse since 1990. Meanwhile. to fight off the temporary effects of the tariff war, Trump is urging Fed Chair Powell to cut rates. Powell will likely NOT cut rates. But what does “Lunatic Liz” Warren say about rate cuts??

As RedState reported earlier, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) did an interview on "Meet the Press" Sunday, where he dropped facts on Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) on the issue of whether suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador in March, had been afforded due process."In my judgment, [Van Hollen] is utterly and gloriously wrong," Kennedy told host Kristen Welker. "I mean, most of this gauzy rhetoric is just rage bait. Unless you’re next-level obtuse, you know that Mr. Garcia is never coming back to the United States ever," he also remarked."The other point I...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he has “no intention” of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before his term leading the U.S. central bank ends next year. “None whatsoever,” Trump said in the Oval Office when asked to clarify that he did not seek Powell’s removal. “Never did.” The comment represents a dramatic shift for Trump, who has recently ramped up his rhetoric against Powell and declined to rule out the possibility of taking the unprecedented step of firing him. U.S. stock futures rose sharply across major indexes following Trump’s latest remarks. Trump, who has heaped pressure on the...

A newly unsealed FBI affidavit reveals that 17-year-old Wisconsin native Nikita Casap — who murdered his parents, stole $14,000 in cash, and plotted to assassinate President Trump using a militarized drone — was communicating via Telegram with an overseas phone number registered to Vodafone Ukraine, one of the country’s largest mobile carriers. Menu New Exclusive Gateway Pundit Merch Now Available on Sticker Mule Stores! Shop Today to Support FREE SPEECH and American Manufacturing! ADVERTISEMENT BREAKING: 3rd Would-Be Trump Assassin Plotted with Telegram Account Linked to Ukrainian Cell Number — We’ve Identified the Account and Individual It’s Registered To by Jason...

President Donald Trump continued lambasting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell while demanding interest rate cuts on Thursday. Trump nominated Powell to serve as chair of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System during his first term in office, and then-President Joe Biden later nominated Powell for a second term. However, Trump has soured on Powell and wants him out of the job. In a fiery Truth Social post on Thursday morning, the president declared, "The ECB is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, ‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always...

Thank you for the introduction. I am looking forward to our conversation, Professor Rajan. First, I will briefly discuss the outlook for the economy and monetary policy. At the Fed, we are always focused on the dual-mandate goals given to us by Congress: maximum employment and stable prices. Despite heightened uncertainty and downside risks, the U.S. economy is still in a solid position. The labor market is at or near maximum employment. Inflation has come down a great deal but is running a bit above our 2 percent objective. Recent Economic Data Turning to the incoming data, we will get...

The Federal Reserve held interbank lending rates steady on Wednesday at a range of 4.25 to 4.5 percent despite some signs that the economy may be heading for a slowdown. The decision to keep rates where they are was in line with market expectations. The CME FedWatch prediction algorithm based on futures contract prices registered Wednesday a 99 percent probability that the Fed would hold rates steady. The Fed has paused rate cuts for the second straight meeting since January. The central bank cut rates three times during the end of 2024 in response to weakening employment data and easing...

Repurposing government buildings

Inflation in the Federal Reserve’s preferred price gauge eased in January after making steady increases throughout the fall. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index increased by 0.3 percent in January, easing to a 2.5-percent annual increase from 2.6 percent in December. The moves were in line with economists’ expectations. “This is about the only inflation indicator this month where the Fed can find some refuge,” Olu Sonola, economist with Fitch Ratings, wrote in an analysis. Concerns about resurgent inflation have been mounting after prices in both the PCE and the broader consumer price index (CPI) increased between September and...

Most Americans don’t know that for much of U.S. history there was no federal income tax and there was no central bank. But now everyone assumes that we must have a federal income tax and a central bank in order to have a functioning society. Today, there are just a handful of nations that do not have an income tax, and more than 99 percent of the entire population of the globe lives in a country that has a central bank. Of course the two work hand in hand. A central bank creates a spiral of borrowing that is meant...

WASHINGTON — Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Jeff Lyash — the highest-paid federal employee with a compensation package of $10.5 million per year — abruptly announced Friday that he was retiring 11 days after the return to office of President Trump, who during his first term slammed Lyash’s “ridiculous” pay and vowed to fire him. “Sounds like Lyash got DOGE’d,” a senior administration official told The Post, referring to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative to rein in allegedly wasteful federal spending. A TVA rep denied that Lyash was departing either in response to or to get ahead of pressure...