Fed should be independent, has made mistakes, Treasury Secretary Bessent says

Reuters

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the Federal Reserve is and should remain independent, but argued the central bank has “made a lot of mistakes” and defended President Donald Trump’s decision to dismiss Fed Governor Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage fraud.

Trump has repeatedly criticised the Fed and Chair Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates, and recently attacked him over the costly renovation of the central bank’s Washington headquarters.

“The Fed should be independent. The Fed is independent, but I also think that they’ve made a lot of mistakes,” Bessent told Reuters during an interview at a diner in suburban Washington.

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