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Chair Powell Refuses to Give in to Trump's Demands

Floor Speech

Date: Jan. 12, 2026
Location: Washington, DC

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Ms. BYNUM. Mr. Speaker, I am here today because this administration is playing games with costs, retirement accounts, and the entire financial system. He is attacking the Federal Reserve, which keeps our economy stable by threatening criminal investigations into Jerome Powell, the Fed's chair. He is doing it because Chair Powell refuses to give in to Trump's demands.

Mr. Speaker, the independence of the Fed makes it so politicians can't use it like a weapon. If the President can bully or threaten the Fed Chair, interest rates become a political tool, inflation becomes a campaign strategy; and your mortgage, your job, and your savings become collateral damage.

Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, this attempt to intimidate the Fed isn't about justice or the American people. It is about the President's ego, in my opinion.

I can't, and won't, stand by and let that happen. I will continue fighting to make sure that the Fed works for Oregonians and for Americans.

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