Jerome Powell says tariffs may slow efforts to curb inflation

Published March 19, 2025 4:00pm ET



Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that inflation driven by President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda could make it more difficult to achieve the Fed’s goal of lowering inflation.

Powell, speaking at a news conference after the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates steady, was asked several times about how tariffs might affect inflation and the overall economic landscape. He said there would be an impact but emphasized that there is still much uncertainty about the scope and scale of the tariffs.

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