Secretary of Treasury Bessent: The Fed is “Universal Basic Income for Academic Economists.”
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent is going after the FED. This should have been done decades ago.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is zeroing in on the Fed:
“What we need to do is examine the entire Federal Reserve and whether they have been successful. All of these Ph.D.s over there, I don’t know what they do.”
Bessent is a dog with a bone. pic.twitter.com/fIJet4BuQR
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 21, 2025
After his interview of CNBC, Bessent shared:
Today in a CNBC interview, I called for a review of the Federal Reserve. It is my belief that the central bank should conduct an exhaustive internal review of its non-monetary policy operations. Significant mission creep and institutional growth have taken the Fed into areas that potentially jeopardize the independence of its core monetary policy mission.
As I have said many times, the Fed’s conduct of monetary policy “is a jewel box” that should be walled off to preserve its independence. This independence is a cornerstone of continued U.S. economic growth and stability.
However, this autonomy is threatened by persistent mandate creep into areas beyond its core mission, provoking justifiable criticism that unnecessarily casts a cloud over the Fed’s valuable independence on monetary policy.
While I have no knowledge or opinion on the legal basis for the massive building renovations being undertaken on Constitution Avenue, a review of the decision to undertake such a project by an institution reporting operating losses of more than $100 billion per year should be conducted.
The Fed does regular reviews of its monetary policy framework. I would urge Fed leadership to similarly undertake, publish and implement a comprehensive institutional review across its entire mission to buttress its credibility. It will go a long way towards strengthening the Fed’s credibility with the American people on its core mission of guiding our nation’s monetary policy.
Today in a CNBC interview, I called for a review of the Federal Reserve. It is my belief that the central bank should conduct an exhaustive internal review of its non-monetary policy operations. Significant mission creep and institutional growth have taken the Fed into areas that…
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) July 21, 2025