Republican lawmakers close ranks around Powell, who spent years building ties in Congress. 'He gets in there, pets the dog, shoots the breeze' | Fortune

"As the Trump administration ramps up its pressure campaign against the central bank - now including Justice Department subpoenas and the threat of criminal charges - Senate Republicans have closed ranks around Powell, defending an independent Fed chair under attack from a president of their own party. "I know Chairman Powell very well. I will be stunned - I will be shocked - if he has done anything wrong," said GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, one of Trump's most reliable allies in the Senate."

"Soon after the Justice Department served subpoenas on the Fed, Powell went on the offensive, releasing a video statement accusing the administration of using "pretexts" to pressure the central bank into sharply cutting interest rates, as Trump has demanded. The 72-year-old Fed chair also leaned on Capitol Hill relationships he has cultivated since his 2018 appointment, holding multiple calls with Republican senators in the days following the video's release."

""He knows his way around Congress," said Robert Tetlow, a former senior policy adviser at the Fed. "He gets in there, pets the dog, shoots the breeze, and has a way of getting people to like him, and he's really good at it." For some in Congress, it's personal In a March 2024 hearing, Powell received an unusual greeting from a member of the Senate Banking Committee: The office dog had said hello."

President Donald Trump intensified pressure on the Federal Reserve with demands for sharp interest-rate cuts, Justice Department subpoenas and threats of criminal charges. Senate Republicans have rallied to defend Fed Chair Jerome Powell, with prominent GOP senators expressing confidence in his conduct. Powell released a video accusing the administration of using "pretexts" to force policy changes and leveraged Capitol Hill relationships, holding calls with Republican senators after the video's release. Former Fed adviser Robert Tetlow highlighted Powell's skill at engaging lawmakers. Some senators, including Thom Tillis, responded personally after cordial exchanges during hearings, framing their support as protection of central bank independence.

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