White House officially nominates 'Kevin Warsh' as Fed chair to Senate: Here's why

The U.S. government has decided to nominate a candidate for the Fed chair to the Senate.

The White House has submitted the nomination of Kevin Warsh for the Fed chair to the Senate, as the president previously stated on January 30 that he would nominate Warsh for Federal Reserve chair.

Trump on Wednesday sent the U.S. Senate his nomination of former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to ‌be the U.S. central bank's next chair, ticking off an early step in what promises to be a contentious path toward his long-held goal of installing a rate-cut-friendly Fed chief.

Warsh, who would take over from Jerome Powell after his leadership term ends May 15, would serve a four-year term that began February 1, according to a notice on the White House website. 

That's the seat currently occupied by Fed Governor Stephen Miran, another rate-cut advocate whom Trump nominated in September.

The next public step in the process is a hearing by the Senate Banking Committee; a spokesman for the panel did not immediately ‌respond to a request for information on the timing.

One of the committee's members, Republican Senator Thom Tillis, has promised to block any Fed nomination as long as a Department of Justice investigation into Powell regarding his testimony to the panel about central bank building renovations in Washington remains open.

Tillis says the probe is frivolous and amounts to intimidation by the Trump administration, which is frustrated with Powell for not cutting interest rates as quickly or deeply as it would like.

Why Trump nominated Kevin Warsh:

The Fed's insulation from short-term political considerations is widely considered essential to its ability to keep inflation under control and steer the economy to a healthy footing.

Former Fed chair Kevin Warsh previously served as a Federal Reserve governor from 2006 to 2011.

On January 30, 2026, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell when Powell’s term as chair ends in May 2026.

While the nomination still requires U.S. Senate confirmation before Warsh can officially assume the role.

It appears the urgency to fast-track Kevin Warsh’s vetting and approval—potentially to increase pressure on the Fed to cut rates—has faded as inflation remains elevated and growth and employment continue to show resilience.

Moreover, influencing monetary policy requires a majority within the FOMC, and the current composition of the Fed Board and voting members remains tilted toward maintaining the current policy stance rather than moving quickly toward rate cuts.

"One of the reasons why the president, I think, is right to be pushing the Fed publicly is we need regime change in the conduct of policy," Warsh said, adding that the central bank's "credibility deficit lies with the incumbents that are at the Fed."