Powell Promises to Use Fed’s Powers to Prevent Higher Inflation from Becoming Entrenched

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, newly appointed for a second four-year term as chief of the central bank, said on Nov. 22 that he would use the Fed’s arsenal to prevent inflation from becoming a more permanent feature of American life.

Powell made the remarks at a White House press briefing at which President Joe Biden announced his reappointment while also nominating Lael Brainard, member of the Fed’s governing board, to serve as Federal Reserve vice chair.

“We know that high inflation takes a toll on families, especially those less able to meet the higher costs of essentials, like food, housing, and transportation,” Powell said, acknowledging the disproportionately high impact of accelerating prices on lower-income Americans.

After Biden announced the two nominations, he praised Powell’s commitment to the “maximum employment” component of the Fed’s dual mandate, while noting Powell’s role in stewarding the Fed through a “landmark review” that saw the central bank adopt a more flexible inflation targeting regime. This basically allowed the Fed to temporarily overshoot its objective of 2 percent inflation in order to pump more money into the economy to ensure a more solid labor market recovery.

“When our country was hemorrhaging jobs last year and there was panic in our financial markets, Jay’s steady and decisive leadership helped to stabilize markets and put our economy on track to a robust recovery,” Biden said of Powell.

Yet the unprecedented level of monetary stimulus—which involved some $120 billion in monthly asset purchases and dropping interest rates to near zero—along with massive fiscal measures, have also had an unwanted side effect, helping push up inflation to levels not seen in over 30 years.

“Today, the economy is expanding at its fastest pace in many years, carrying the promise of a return to maximum employment,” Powell said, with “maximum employment” a condition the Fed defines as the lowest level of unemployment the economy can sustain while maintaining a stable rate of inflation. Since there will always be some people between jobs, this rate will never be zero, and so economists generally put it at between 3 percent and 5 percent, while Atlanta Fed chief Raphael Bostic recently defined it as a condition where “every American who wants a job has one.”

Powell, echoing his oft-repeated view that pandemic-related supply-side dislocations have played a major role in pushing up prices, said, “The unprecedented reopening of the economy, along with the continuing effects of the pandemic, led to supply and demand imbalances, bottlenecks, and a burst of inflation.”

The most recent Labor Department report on consumer prices showed that inflation in the 12 months through October hit 6.2 percent, the highest pace in 31 years.

By Tom Ozimek

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

AI Takes Customer Service from Doublespeak to Triplespeak

Corporations are replacing customer service agents with AI agents. Here's a real-life example of attempting to use AI to have my internet restored.

The Left’s Descent into Extremism  

The political left, from mainstream Dems to radical Antifa, have embraced extremism, alienating swaths of the public and undermining their own influence.

Roger Stone Speaks About Trump at Turning Point USA

Longtime Donald Trump friend, Roger Stone, gave a speech at the 2025 TPUSA convention offering his take on the recent Epstein List controversy.

Dredging the Swamp For CNN RINOs

Epstein ran a multinational child sex trafficking ring to service and entrap political and business elites to blackmail and to usurp democratic governance.

Trump Turned His Head And Saved America

It was a turn of President Trump's head to view an immigration chart that saved his life. It was Divine intervention, God saved Trump so he could save America.

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Constitutionality of Gun Bans for Drug Users

Federal appeals court ruled law barring people who regularly use illegal drugs from owning guns is constitutional because of public safety concerns.

Gut Bacteria Could Help Remove ‘Forever Chemicals’ From Body

Researchers found that nine species of gut bacteria can help detoxify the body from forever chemicals, absorbing PFAS linked to cancer and other illnesses.

Trump Urges Supreme Court to Allow Firing of Biden Appointees at Consumer Commission

President Trump urged the Supreme Court on July 14 to lift a lower court order blocking his firing of three Biden appointees at the CPSC.

Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell ready to reveal ‘truth’ of pedophile client list

Ghislaine Maxwell is only person serving time on child sex trafficking despite fact that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein allegedly controlled a web of underage girls.

Trump to Announce $70 Billion Energy and Innovation Investment in Pittsburgh

President Trump is meeting with business leaders to discuss how best to meet the energy and computing needs of the future.

Trump Says He Spoke to Bongino Amid Reports of Infighting Over Epstein Files

President Trump spoke to FBI Deputy Dir. Dan Bongino, indicating the two remain close despite reported friction over release of Jeffrey Epstein docs.

EU Won’t Retaliate to Trump’s 30 Percent Tariff, Countermeasures on Hold Until August

EC President Ursula von der Leyen said EU will extend suspension on countermeasures to U.S. tariffs until next month while trade negotiations continue.

Trump Announces 30 Percent Tariff on EU, Mexico

President Donald Trump has announced a 30 percent tariff on imports from the European Union and Mexico, to go into effect on Aug. 1, 2025.
spot_img

Related Articles