×

Bessent says confident that core inflation is going down, Fed will need to cut rates

By Thomson Reuters Apr 14, 2026 | 9:53 AM

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday said he ​was quite confident that ‌core inflation would continue to go down in the United States despite the Iran war, and ‌repeated ​his call for ⁠the Federal Reserve ⁠to cut its interest rates.

Bessent said he could understand if U.S. central bankers wanted ​to observe economic developments related to the war before ⁠they cut ⁠rates, adding that it ​also made sense for U.S. President ​Donald Trump’s nominee as Fed ‌chair, Kevin Warsh, to lead the next cycle of monetary adjustments.

Asked if the ⁠Trump administration would accept current Fed Chair Jerome Powell staying in the ⁠top ‌spot after his term ⁠ends in May, ​if ‌Warsh’s nomination was not ​approved by ⁠the Senate by then, Bessent said, “We want Kevin Warsh in as soon as possible.”

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by ​Caitlin Webber)