Jerome Powell

We do not take into account the fortunes of any political party or politician.

The public would lose faith that the central bank will make decisions based only on what’s best for all Americans.

If any administration finds a way to remove Fed officials over policy differences, then future administrations will do so as well.

It is not a foregone conclusion

Without the ability to pay interest on reserves, the Fed would lose control over rates

Stopping sooner could have made some difference, but not likely enough to fundamentally alter the trajectory of the economy

We may approach that point in coming months

Rising downside risks to employment have shifted our assessment of the balance of risks

The outlook for employment and inflation does not appear to have changed much since our September meeting

If we move too slowly, there may be unnecessary losses, painful losses in the employment market.

If we move too quickly, then we may leave the inflation job unfinished and have to come back later and finish it.

Overall, while the labor market appears to be in balance, it is a curious kind of balance that results from a marked slowing in both the supply of and demand for workers.

Job growth, he said, has slowed considerably and that the downside risks to employment are rising.

I haven’t heard that.

I would agree that climate is the biggest risk.

It is a big risk to our independence if we were to stray into areas where we shouldn’t that really aren’t part of our mandate.

I won’t bow to political pressure when it comes to setting monetary policy.

When you significantly slow the growth of the labor force, you will slow the growth of the economy.

There are no new water features, there’s no beehives, and there’s no roof terrace gardens

Everyone that I know is forecasting a meaningful increase in inflation in coming months from tariffs.

The U.S. economy is in solid shape.

I have nothing for you on that today.

What keeps me awake at night is how do we get that done? I want to hand over to my successor an economy in good shape, and so do all of my colleagues, that's all we ever want.

I have a little more than 10 months left on my term as chair, and all I want, and all anyone at the Fed wants, is to deliver an economy that has price stability, maximum employment, financial stability.