financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
Proposed Fed governor Miran recommended tighter political control of the central bank he would join
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Proposed Fed governor Miran recommended tighter political control of the central bank he would join
Aug 7, 2025 2:32 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Having railed against the "revolving door" between the executive branch and the U.S. Federal Reserve, Council of Economic Advisers chair Stephen Miran may now be walking through it after President Donald Trump nominated him to the Board of Governors of an institution Miran would like to radically overhaul.

In a report last year co-authored by Miran for the Manhattan Institute, the economist proposed a sort of homeopathic cure for a series of ills he felt had infected the central bank, from "groupthink" on monetary policy, to regulatory overreach, to a loss of accountability and a loss of focus on its core mission of fighting inflation.

To regain the benefits of Fed independence from political control, Miran wrote, that independence would have to end. 

Rather than 14-year terms and protection from removal once appointed, Miran proposed, Fed governors would serve eight year stints and be subject to removal at will by the president. 

"We recommend shortening board member terms and clarifying that members serve at the will of the U.S. president, as well as imposing bans on the revolving door between the executive branch and the Fed," Miran wrote.

It is unclear how Miran's proposal for upending the Fed's current system may effect his chances for Senate confirmation. Some of the Republicans who oversee the confirmation process have spoken in favor of keeping the central bank's management out the president's immediate reach, a staple concept of central banking in the developed world embodied in a series of 1930s reforms in the U.S.

But if implemented it would mean dramatic change at the Fed.

Internal Fed budgets would be brought under the Congressional appropriations act as a tool of further political oversight -- the Fed currently funds itself from its balance sheet and other earnings -- and some of the central bank's functions outside of monetary policy would be split off into separate parts of the central bank.

Breaking further with the current structure, Miran proposed giving a policy vote to all 12 regional bank presidents, instead of the current five, as a way to balance presidential influence -- in effect counting on the 12 regional officials as a counterweight to a president too eager to fire members of the Washington-based board.

The regional banks, however, would themselves come in for reform, with their boards of directors put under the authority of state governors -- a system that could create Republican and Democratic-leaning reserve banks out of the country's divided electoral map.  

In Miran's view, however, that would strengthen accountability in an institution he feels has lost its way. 

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Sept. 13
Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Sept. 13
Sep 13, 2024
02:44 PM EDT, 09/13/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Import prices fell by 0.3% in August after July's 0.1% gain, a larger drop than the 0.2% decline expected and down 0.1% when a 3.2% drop in petroleum prices is excluded. Export prices declined by 0.7% in August, below a 0.2% drop expected following a 0.5% increase in the previous month. Export prices...
US import prices post largest drop in eight months in August
US import prices post largest drop in eight months in August
Sep 13, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. import prices dropped by the most in eight months in August amid lower costs for fuels and food products, suggesting that domestic inflation will continue to subside in the months ahead. Import prices fell 0.3% last month, the largest decline since December 2023, after an unrevised 0.1% gain in July, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor...
US consumer sentiment rises in September as inflation eases
US consumer sentiment rises in September as inflation eases
Sep 13, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment improved in September amid subsiding inflation, though Americans remained cautious ahead of the November presidential election, a survey showed on Friday. The University of Michigan's preliminary reading on the overall index of consumer sentiment came in at 69.0 this month, compared to a final reading of 67.9 in August. Economists polled by Reuters had...
US consumer sentiment rises in September as inflation eases
US consumer sentiment rises in September as inflation eases
Sep 13, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment improved in September amid subsiding inflation, though Americans remained cautious ahead of the November presidential election, a survey showed on Friday. The University of Michigan's preliminary reading on the overall index of consumer sentiment came in at 69.0 this month, compared to a final reading of 67.9 in August. Economists polled by Reuters had...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved