Jerome Powell: “I intend to preserve the Federal Reserve's independence, which I see as essential for us to achieve our congressionally…”

We may approach that point in coming months

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

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.