Latest news with #MarrinerS.Eccles
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Donald Trump, Powell clash over renovation costs during tense Fed visit
Agencies After months of sharp criticism, President Donald Trump took his feud with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to the Fed's front door on Thursday, publicly rebuking him over the escalating costs of a long-planned building project. Powell pushed back, disputing the president's latest price tag as incorrect. Wearing hard hats and grim faces, standing in the middle of the construction project, Trump and Powell addressed the cameras. Trump charged that the renovation would cost $3.1 billion, much higher than the Fed's $2.5 billion figure. Powell, standing next to him, shook his head. The Fed chair, after looking at a paper presented to him by Trump, said the president was including the cost of renovating a separate Fed building, known as the Martin building, which was finished five years visit represented a significant ratcheting up of the president's pressure on Powell to lower borrowing costs, which Trump says would accelerate economic growth and reduce the government's borrowing costs. Presidents rarely visit the Fed's offices, though they are just a few blocks from the White House, an example of the central bank's independence from day-to-day politics. 'We have to get the interest rates down,' Trump said later after a short tour, addressing the cameras this time without Powell. 'People are pretty much unable to buy houses.' Trump is likely to be disappointed next week, however, when Fed officials will meet to decide its next steps on interest rates. Powell and other officials have signaled they will likely keep their key rate unchanged at about 4.3%. However, economists and Wall Street investors expect the Fed may start cutting rates in September. Trump did step back a bit from some of his recent threats to fire Powell before his term ends May 26. Asked if the rising costs of the Fed's renovation, estimated in 2022 to cost $1.9 billion, was a 'fireable offense,' Trump said, 'I don't want to put this in that category.' 'To do that is a big move, and I don't think that's necessary,' Trump added. 'I just want to see one thing happen, very simple: Interest rates come down.' The Fed allowed reporters to tour the building before the visit by Trump, who, in his real estate career, has bragged about his lavish spending on architectural accoutrements that gave a Versailles-like golden flair to his buildings. On Thursday, reporters wound through cement mixers, front loaders, and plastic pipes as they got a close-up view of the active construction site that encompasses the Fed's historic headquarters, known as the Marriner S. Eccles building, and a second building across 20th Street in Washington. Fed staff, who declined to be identified, said that greater security requirements, rising materials costs and tariffs, and the need to comply with historic preservation measures drove up the cost of the project, which was budgeted in 2022 at $1.9 billion. The staff pointed out new blast-resistant windows and seismic walls that were needed to comply with modern building codes and security standards set out by the Department of Homeland Security. The Fed has to build with the highest level of security in mind, Fed staff said, including something called 'progressive collapse,' in which only parts of the building would fall if hit with explosives. Sensitivity to the president's pending visit among Fed staff was high during the tour. Reporters were ushered into a small room outside the Fed's boardroom, where 19 officials meet eight times a year to decide whether to change short-term interest rates. The room, which will have a security booth, is oval-shaped, and someone had written 'oval office' on plywood walls. The Fed staff downplayed the inscription as a joke. When reporters returned to the room later, it had been painted over. During the tour, Fed staff also showed the elevator shaft that congressional critics have said is for 'VIPs' only. Powell has since said it will be open to all Fed renovation includes an 18-inch (45-cm) extension so the elevator reaches a slightly elevated area that is now accessible only by steps or a ramp. A planning document that said the elevator will only be for the Fed's seven governors was erroneous and later amended, staff said. Plans for the renovation were first approved by the Fed's governing board in 2017. The project then wended its way through several local commissions for approval, at least one of which, the Commission for Fine Arts, included several Trump appointees. The commission pushed for more marble in the second of the two buildings the Fed is renovating, known as 1951 Constitution Avenue, specifically in a mostly glass extension that some of Trump's appointees derided as a 'glass box.' Fed staff also said tariffs and inflationary increases in building material prices drove up costs. Trump in 2018 imposed a 25% duty on steel and 10% on aluminum. He increased them this year to 50%. Steel prices are up about 60% since the plans were approved, while construction materials costs overall are up about 50%, according to government data. Fed staff also pointed to the complication of historic renovations – both buildings have significant preservation needs. Constructing a new building on an empty site would have been cheaper, they said. As one example, the staff pointed reporters to where they had excavated beneath the Eccles building to add a floor of mechanical rooms, storage space, and some offices. The Fed staff acknowledged such structural additions underground are expensive, but said it was done to avoid adding HVAC equipment and other mechanics on the roof, which is historic. The Fed has previously attributed much of the project's cost to underground construction. It is also adding three underground levels of parking for its second building. Initially the central bank proposed building more above ground, but ran into Washington, D.C.'s height restrictions, forcing more underground construction.
Sydney Morning Herald
16-07-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Disgraceful': The $3.8 billion renovation Trump wants to use to oust an old enemy
Powell and his board have the dual mandate of maximising employment and keeping prices stable, a task that can require them to make politically unpopular moves such as raising interest rates to hold inflation in check. The general theory is that keeping the Fed free from the influence of the White House — other than for nominations of Fed officials — allows it to fulfil its mission based on what the economy needs, instead of what a politician wants. An attempt to remove Powell from his job before his term ends in May 2026 would undercut the Fed's long-standing independence from day-to-day politics and could lead to higher inflation, higher interest rates and a weaker economy. The Supreme Court recently signalled that the president can't fire Powell simply because Trump disagrees with him on interest rates. But legally he could do so 'for cause,' such as misconduct or dereliction of duty. Trump's workaround appears to be that Powell misrepresented the renovation project in congressional testimony and that the cost is excessive, thus meriting his dismissal. The Fed's main headquarters is over 90 years old The Fed says its main headquarters, known as the Marriner S. Eccles building, was in dire need of an upgrade because its electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, among others, are nearly obsolete and some date back to the building's construction in the 1930s. The renovation will also remove asbestos, lead and other hazardous elements and update the building with modern electrical and communications systems. The H-shaped building, named after a former Fed chair in the 1930s and '40s, is located near some of Washington's highest-profile monuments and has references to classical architecture and marble in the facades and stonework. The central bank is also renovating a building next door that it acquired in 2018. The Fed says there has been periodic maintenance to the structures but adds that this is the first 'comprehensive renovation.' The renovation costs have ballooned over the years Trump administration officials have criticised the Fed over the project's expense, which has reached $US2.5 billion, about $US600 million more than was originally budgeted. Loading Like a beleaguered homeowner facing spiralling costs for a remodelling project, the Fed cites many reasons for the greater expense. Construction costs, including for materials and labor, rose sharply during the inflation spike in 2021 and 2022. More asbestos needed to be removed than expected. Washington's local restrictions on building heights forced it to build underground, which is pricier. In 2024, the Fed's board cancelled its planned renovations of a third building because of rising costs. The Fed says the renovations will reduce costs 'over time' because it will be able to consolidate its roughly 3000 Washington-based employees into fewer buildings and will no longer need to rent as much extra space as it does now. White House budget director calls renovations 'ostentatious' Russ Vought, the administration's top budget adviser, wrote Powell a letter last Thursday that said Trump is 'extremely troubled' about the Fed's 'ostentatious overhaul' of its facilities. The Fed's renovation plans call for 'rooftop terrace gardens, VIP private dining rooms and elevators, water features, premium marble, and much more,' Vought said in his letter. Powell has disputed the claims, which were given wide circulation in a paper issued by the Mercatus Center, a think tank at George Mason University, in March 2025. The paper was written by Andrew Levin, an economist at Dartmouth College and former Fed staffer. 'There's no VIP dining room,' Powell said last month during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. 'There's no new marble. ... There are no special elevators. There are no new water features. ... And there's no roof terrace gardens.' Some of those elements were removed from initial building plans submitted in 2021, the Fed says. But the White House also takes issue with the Fed reducing its renovation costs The Fed's changes to its building plans have opened it up to another line of attack: White House officials suggest the Fed violated the terms of the approval it received from a local planning commission by changing its plans. In its September 2021 approval of the project, the National Capital Planning Commission said it 'Commends' the Fed for 'fully engaging partner federal agencies.' But because the Fed changed its plans, the administration is indicating it needed to go back to the commission for a separate approval. Essentially, White House officials are saying Powell is being reckless with taxpayer money because of the cost of the renovation, but they are also accusing him of acting unethically by scaling back the project to save money. Loading James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff whom Trump named to the commission, said last Thursday in a post on X that Powell's June congressional testimony 'leads me to conclude the project is not in alignment with plans submitted to & approved by the National Capital Planning Commission in 2021.' Speaking last Thursday at the planning commission meeting, Blair said he intends to tour the construction site, review materials from the Fed on how the approved 2021 renovation plans have changed and circulate a letter among his colleagues on the commission that would go to Fed officials. The Fed has asked for an independent review of the project.
The Age
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
‘Disgraceful': The $3.8 billion renovation Trump wants to use to oust an old enemy
Powell and his board have the dual mandate of maximising employment and keeping prices stable, a task that can require them to make politically unpopular moves such as raising interest rates to hold inflation in check. The general theory is that keeping the Fed free from the influence of the White House — other than for nominations of Fed officials — allows it to fulfil its mission based on what the economy needs, instead of what a politician wants. An attempt to remove Powell from his job before his term ends in May 2026 would undercut the Fed's long-standing independence from day-to-day politics and could lead to higher inflation, higher interest rates and a weaker economy. The Supreme Court recently signalled that the president can't fire Powell simply because Trump disagrees with him on interest rates. But legally he could do so 'for cause,' such as misconduct or dereliction of duty. Trump's workaround appears to be that Powell misrepresented the renovation project in congressional testimony and that the cost is excessive, thus meriting his dismissal. The Fed's main headquarters is over 90 years old The Fed says its main headquarters, known as the Marriner S. Eccles building, was in dire need of an upgrade because its electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, among others, are nearly obsolete and some date back to the building's construction in the 1930s. The renovation will also remove asbestos, lead and other hazardous elements and update the building with modern electrical and communications systems. The H-shaped building, named after a former Fed chair in the 1930s and '40s, is located near some of Washington's highest-profile monuments and has references to classical architecture and marble in the facades and stonework. The central bank is also renovating a building next door that it acquired in 2018. The Fed says there has been periodic maintenance to the structures but adds that this is the first 'comprehensive renovation.' The renovation costs have ballooned over the years Trump administration officials have criticised the Fed over the project's expense, which has reached $US2.5 billion, about $US600 million more than was originally budgeted. Loading Like a beleaguered homeowner facing spiralling costs for a remodelling project, the Fed cites many reasons for the greater expense. Construction costs, including for materials and labor, rose sharply during the inflation spike in 2021 and 2022. More asbestos needed to be removed than expected. Washington's local restrictions on building heights forced it to build underground, which is pricier. In 2024, the Fed's board cancelled its planned renovations of a third building because of rising costs. The Fed says the renovations will reduce costs 'over time' because it will be able to consolidate its roughly 3000 Washington-based employees into fewer buildings and will no longer need to rent as much extra space as it does now. White House budget director calls renovations 'ostentatious' Russ Vought, the administration's top budget adviser, wrote Powell a letter last Thursday that said Trump is 'extremely troubled' about the Fed's 'ostentatious overhaul' of its facilities. The Fed's renovation plans call for 'rooftop terrace gardens, VIP private dining rooms and elevators, water features, premium marble, and much more,' Vought said in his letter. Powell has disputed the claims, which were given wide circulation in a paper issued by the Mercatus Center, a think tank at George Mason University, in March 2025. The paper was written by Andrew Levin, an economist at Dartmouth College and former Fed staffer. 'There's no VIP dining room,' Powell said last month during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. 'There's no new marble. ... There are no special elevators. There are no new water features. ... And there's no roof terrace gardens.' Some of those elements were removed from initial building plans submitted in 2021, the Fed says. But the White House also takes issue with the Fed reducing its renovation costs The Fed's changes to its building plans have opened it up to another line of attack: White House officials suggest the Fed violated the terms of the approval it received from a local planning commission by changing its plans. In its September 2021 approval of the project, the National Capital Planning Commission said it 'Commends' the Fed for 'fully engaging partner federal agencies.' But because the Fed changed its plans, the administration is indicating it needed to go back to the commission for a separate approval. Essentially, White House officials are saying Powell is being reckless with taxpayer money because of the cost of the renovation, but they are also accusing him of acting unethically by scaling back the project to save money. Loading James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff whom Trump named to the commission, said last Thursday in a post on X that Powell's June congressional testimony 'leads me to conclude the project is not in alignment with plans submitted to & approved by the National Capital Planning Commission in 2021.' Speaking last Thursday at the planning commission meeting, Blair said he intends to tour the construction site, review materials from the Fed on how the approved 2021 renovation plans have changed and circulate a letter among his colleagues on the commission that would go to Fed officials. The Fed has asked for an independent review of the project.
