Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Senator Thom Tillis opposed confirmation of any Federal Reserve nominee pending resolution of Powell investigation — On January 11, 2026, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, posted that there is no longer any doubt that "advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve" and stated that "it is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question." Tillis announced he would "oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed—including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy—until this legal matter is fully resolved."
• Senator Thom Tillis vows to block all Federal Reserve nominations — Senator Thom Tillis announced he would block all Federal Reserve nominations, including the upcoming chair vacancy, until the DOJ investigation into Powell is "fully resolved." Tillis, a member of the banking committee overseeing Fed appointments, stated on X that the investigation demonstrates the Trump administration is "actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve" and questioned the DOJ's credibility.
• Rep. Bacon expressed concern about DOJ independence in Powell investigation — Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) stated that while he believes the justice system works in the end, the Powell investigation "on the surface, it does appears this is DOJ going after Powell" and emphasized that "the independence of the Fed is vitally important."
• Rep. Lawler opposed pressure on Federal Reserve independence — Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) stated that while he believes Powell was late in addressing inflation and slow in lowering interest rates, "the independence of the Federal Reserve is paramount and I oppose any effort to pressure them into action."
• Republican senators demanded investigation into DOJ weaponization of federal law enforcement — Republican lawmakers publicly demanded an investigation into Trump's Department of Justice for weaponizing federal law enforcement against Federal Reserve Chair Powell. Senator Lisa Murkowski stated the investigation was coercive and noted that cost overruns on federal projects do not constitute grounds for criminal prosecution. Senator Thom Tillis blocked Trump's nominees to the Federal Reserve and Department of Homeland Security until the DOJ's conduct is investigated, also noting that Kristi Noem refused to appear before Congress.
• Sen. Murkowski characterized Powell investigation as coercion attempt — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) stated that after speaking with Chair Powell, the administration's investigation is "nothing more than an attempt at coercion." She called for Congress to investigate DOJ if it believes project cost overruns warrant inquiry, and warned that loss of Federal Reserve independence would destabilize markets and the broader economy. She supported Sen. Tillis's position on blocking Fed nominees.
• Sen. Tillis announced opposition to any Fed nominees pending resolution of Powell investigation — Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Senate Banking Committee where Republicans hold a one-seat majority, announced he will oppose confirmation of any Federal Reserve nominee, including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy, until the DOJ investigation into Powell is fully resolved. Tillis stated the investigation demonstrates that Trump administration advisers are actively pushing to end Federal Reserve independence.
• Former Fed Chairs and economic officials issued joint statement on Powell investigation — All living former Federal Reserve Chairs (Bernanke, Greenspan, Yellen), bipartisan former Treasury Secretaries (Geithner, Paulson, and others), and bipartisan former Council of Economic Advisers Chairs (Hubbard, Mankiw, Romer, Furman) issued a joint statement characterizing the criminal inquiry into Chair Powell as "an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks to undermine" Federal Reserve independence. They warned that such actions occur in emerging markets with weak institutions and have no place in the United States.