Warsh Pledges Independence But Dodges Questions on Rates

Kevin Warsh repeatedly pledged to act independently if he’s confirmed as the next Federal Reserve chair, rejecting Democratic concerns he would be a “sock puppet” for President Donald Trump, who continues to demand lower interest rates.

Warsh, in testimony before the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday, called for a slew of changes to the way the US central bank makes its decisions, including a new framework for dealing with persistent inflation and a new way of communicating with the public. But he provided few specifics and avoided answering questions about the near-term path of interest rates.