Kevin Warsh will be sworn in as the 17th chair of the Federal Reserve this Friday during a White House ceremony. His appointment follows a largely party-line confirmation vote in the Senate last week.
A former top Fed official and governor who left the agency in 2011, Warsh has spent the last 15 years as a sharp critic of the central bank. His broad criticism of current officials and the playbook for rate cuts, along with his ties to President Donald Trump, helped him surpass other contenders for the leadership role.
Warsh enters the position at an unusually difficult and pivotal moment for the American economy and monetary policy, promising the biggest shakeup at the central bank in decades. While President Trump has demanded lower interest rates, markets are betting the Fed will remain on hold through most, if not all, of 2026.