US President Trump says the IG’s Report states that there were “deficiencies in the management of the renovation project” and Powell should be forced to resign from the board
Public presidential pressure on a sitting Fed chair is a recurring feature of this administration, and the renovation cost overrun has served as the chosen vehicle rather than policy itself, which keeps the legal question centred on the for-cause removal standard that has historically shielded Fed governors.
US President Trump says the IG’s Report states that there were “deficiencies in the management of the renovation project” and Powell should be forced to resign from the board
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- "The Inspector General’s Report just came out on Jerome “Too Late” Powell’s “renovation” of the Federal Reserve Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The IG’s Report states that there were “deficiencies in the management of the renovation project.” The Building is over budget, at a Record Setting rate and, at a minimum, “Too Late” Powell should be forced to resign from the Board. He can’t manage a Building, and he certainly shouldn’t be allowed to manage his High Interest Rate Policy (only on “TRUMP!”). I have asked Attorney General Todd Blanche to study the report, and make a determination as to what to do about a relatively small Building Complex that is Hundreds of Millions of Dollars over budget, and is now going to cost, according to the Report, at least 2.5 Billion Dollars, with no end in sight. The Report states, “We were concerned to find that the Board did not obtain a project cost estimate from the [construction manager] until January 2026, which was 3.5 years after construction began and after the Board had awarded more than $2 billion in construction costs. As of July 2026, more than 4 years after construction began and $2 billion has been awarded for construction, the Board had yet to set a [guaranteed maximum price]” — An absolutely unheard of situation! — “The Board therefore still does not have cost certainty and has not transferred material risk to the [construction manager]." In actuality, I think that the 2.5 Billion Dollars will be 3.5 Billion Dollars, and maybe 4 Billion Dollars by the time they’re finished, and may never get properly built. Soundproofing, and all other elements of the Building, will be inferior to what was previously there. In particular, the magnificent beauty, sculptured ceilings and walls, and so many other things which made the Federal Reserve Building stand apart, will never be captured again, and are only being replaced by flat, boring, less than midlevel finishes. I could have done a far better Renovation for 25 Million Dollars, completely maintaining the MAGNIFICENCE of the structure, and had money left over. They completely destroyed the Beauty and Glorious History of the Building. This is Jerome Powell’s fault, and he should be forced to resign, IMMEDIATELY! If he doesn’t resign, he should be sued, at the highest level, by the United States Government, for either corruption or incompetence, both of which are completely unacceptable…And no, I do not want this Building named after President Donald J. Trump, ME! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP"
Prior episodes of this kind have tended to follow a set sequence: rhetorical escalation, referral to legal or investigative channels, then a test of whether any formal action follows, with the independence premium in the dollar and the front end reacting mainly when the threat looks executable rather than rhetorical. The distinction that matters is between Powell's chairmanship, which expires on a known schedule, and his board seat, which runs longer and is what the demand for resignation from the Board is aimed at. The involvement of the Attorney General and the citation of the IG report is an escalation in form rather than substance; IG findings on procurement are administrative, and comparable attempts to construct a for-cause case from non-policy conduct have not previously succeeded. Worth noting is the tell: whether any actual legal filing or removal attempt materialises, and how other Fed officials and Senate voices respond, since confirmation dynamics for any successor are the real constraint. As it stands, this is political theatre around a known pressure campaign unless and until a formal process begins.
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